


Waltzing With My Dearly Beloved

by Yosakazure



Series: Dancing to Our Heart Song [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Aged up characters, Amnesia, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Anxiety, Bullying, Dream Eater Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Fanart, First Time, Growing Up, High School, Kingdom Hearts Characters, M/M, Mark of Mastery, Marriage, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Touching, Oral Sex, PTSD, Praise Kink, Sexual Content, Underage Frottage, housebuilding, life building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:42:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 99
Words: 358,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25653061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yosakazure/pseuds/Yosakazure
Summary: The sequel to "Dancing to Our Heart Song". Sora and Riku pick up where their lives left off and other characters reminisce about the journey they also shared. Depicts the struggles of slipping back into a world supposedly at peace and learning to be true and comfortable with oneself after experiencing so much change in a short amount of time. Together, Sora and Riku strengthen their relationship as they explore the new lives they're trying to make for themselves while they deal with a new foe: Darkness itself.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), soriku - Relationship
Series: Dancing to Our Heart Song [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859878
Comments: 458
Kudos: 143





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel to "Dancing to Our Heart Song". Thank you so much for reading. This fic will have many individual stories that may or may not fit the typical narrative flow such as the one in "Heart Song" and won't have a consistent upload schedule. But I hope you enjoy it anyway for what it is. While I was writing the epilogue for "Heart Song" I just realized I still had so much more that I wanted to write and decided I wasn't ready to let go yet. So here we are. <3

Bathed in the light of the full moon pouring in through the skylight of their home, Sora and Riku basked in the afterglow of their post-engagement lovemaking. With lazy fingers, Riku traced the sensitive scars that resembled a starburst on Sora's chest, earning soft mewls from the brunette as he gripped the larger sweaty body on top of him. Eventually, their hands intertwined, their twin rings glinting in the moonlight as they held each other. With a content sigh, Riku settled into Sora as he listened to the brunette's soft breathing even out.

The two laid contently in their four poster bed as they listened to the sounds of each other's hearts combined with the faraway sounds of the ocean outside. The night was warm so all they had draped over them was a thin white sheet with a few loose flower petals that had fallen from the vine flowers that had climbed the posts of the bed in their efforts to reach for the skylight. Above them the soft sounds of chimes could be heard from a mobile made of retired keychains that clinked together gently as they slowly spun and rotated.

The 22 and 21 year old have been living together for the past two years, but they've been building the house for four. What had started as a treehouse on land that Riku inherited from his grandfather grew into a passion project for the both of them. Much like their relationship, something meant to be playful and fun grew and grew into something that felt like a home and neither could think of any place they'd rather live.

Between murmured I love yous and adoring noises, they reminisced about all the moments in their lives that had led up to this point. Both still blush as they remember the first time they made love, the joy in their hearts when they decided the house was good enough to finally move in together, the elation of waking up each morning to see each other lying beside one another and realizing that this is their home, _their_ special place. A special place of warmth and love and ready to be filled with many more memories and lit far brighter than any cave could possibly be. There were other moments as well, such as Sora earning his Mark of Mastery. But there were also dark moments of struggle that the two of them helped each other through. No matter what was thrown at them, it only strengthened their bond.

Sora already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Riku and even beyond that. But now, everything feels like it's finally falling into place. Another step in the journey of their lives together has been taken and it was so hard to imagine how it could possibly get any better from here, but he was so very much looking forward to it. He smiled down at the silverette in his arms, only for Riku to look up at him with a soft gaze that filled Sora's heart to the brim with warmth. "Riku?"

"I was just thinking..."

"Yes?"

Riku smiled fondly and kissed his way up Sora's chest, to his neck, and around his jawline before whispering into his lips, "It's amazing. You're the most precious thing in the universe and yet you are mine to hold."

Sora let out a soft sob at his sweet words, his voice quivering as he whispered back, "And you are mine" before closing the distance between them and sharing in another long kiss, a kiss that's sure to be one of many, many more.


	2. Mark of Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora asks Terra and Aqua to give him the Mark of Mastery Exam.

"You want to try out for the Mark of Mastery? This soon?" Riku asked in surprise.

"Yeah!" Sora grinned happily as he bit into an ice cream bar from Freezy Timmy's. "There's a lot of stuff I want to do before school starts."

The two had just returned to the islands, armed with a giant photo album to show both their parents to tell them that they were in love. It had gone over very well and the two had gone out for some ice cream to celebrate before ending up on the paopu tree just like they've always done.

"Let's ask Aqua and Terra to conduct the Mark of Mastery this time," Riku grinned at Sora who seemed relieved at the suggestion.

"That's a great idea!" the brunette smiled. "Not that I don't think I'm ready for anything, but I'm not sure I want to see what Master Yen Sid might cook up if I ask him to give me the Exam again."

"Can't say I blame you," Riku smirked as he finished off his own ice cream. "Let's text them tonight."

"Okay!" Sora grinned broadly as he too finished off the last of his ice cream.

Surprisingly, it took two days before either of them got a message back and Masters Terra and Aqua requested their presence at the Land of Departure. So within a day, the two were back in their battle gear and on the gummi ship to see their friends. Sora was clearly excited the whole time, practically bouncing in his seat as Riku drove the ship. Riku couldn't help smiling with him, even though he partly wished he could do the test all over again just so Sora wouldn't have to do it alone. He wasn't worried though. He was sure Sora could handle anything.

The excitement soon died down, however, when they arrived in the throne room to see Masters Terra and Aqua giving them solemn smiles. After exchanging pleasantries, Master Aqua broke the news.

"Sora, I'm sorry. But we've decided it's too soon to give you the Mark of Mastery exam," she said gently.

"Oh..." Sora clearly looked disappointed, hurt even. But he tried to smile through it and asked, "Can I ask why?"

"After what you've gone through, your heart's still filled with so much darkness," Terra elaborated.

Riku felt a little dumbfounded and could see Sora immediately get defensive. "But I defeated the Master of Masters, does that not mean anything!?"

"But you lost your heart to darkness in the process before that," the elder Master retorted calmly.

"Now wait just a minute--" Riku took a step forward but Sora interrupted first.

"OH! LIKE ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY ROOM TO TALK ABOUT LOSING YOUR HEART TO DARKNESS!" Sora shouted but clenched his fists as he stared down at the floor. He felt bad for saying it, but he wasn't going to apologize. This really didn't feel fair at all!

"Sora, please...take his time to recover and you can come back later. There is no rush for you to earn your Mark of Mastery...is there, Sora?" Aqua asked softly.

"But...I can do it," Sora protested.

"There's more to being a Master than being strong, Sora. It just wouldn't be fair to give you the exam right now. Please try to understand."

Sora kept his head down as he tried not to show his face and kept silent. If they weren't going to give him the exam, they could've said something on the phone. They could have said ANYTHING ELSE.

"In the meantime, there are so many other things Aqua and I can teach you. Maybe when you two have time off we could--" Terra offered.

"Thanks, but I have some thinking to do," Sora answered sharply and turned on his heel to leave. "Thank you for your time, Masters Terra and Aqua," he thanked them formally...bitterly...before making his way out of the room, dashing in fact so he can get out of there quicker.

"Sora, wait!" Riku called after him but Sora was gone in a flash. He turned angrily to Terra. "Why'd you have to do that!?"

Aqua gave a heavy sigh, "You can feel it too. We know you can. He's not ready."

"Even so, you didn't have to phrase it that way! He's right and you know it!" Riku growled. "None of us have any room to talk about losing ourselves to the darkness. We all have!"

"Yes, but as Aqua said, he's not recovered yet. To put him through the exam now just wouldn't be right," Terra stated firmly and crossed his arms as if to say that was the end of the discussion.

Riku still didn't look satisfied with that answer, so Aqua continued. "Sora is strong, but he's reckless. He has much to learn. On his own, there's more potential for danger if he doesn't have others around to ground him. Plus there are other qualities he just doesn't have yet and that's not to say he won't get them in time. It's just not the right time now. He's still very young."

Riku clenched his fists at his sides and he heard Terra get up from his seat to walk over and place a heavy hand on his shoulder but it took a second for him to even look up at him. "We know he's disappointed, but this is for the best. We ALL need time, not just him. In the meantime, consider our offer. We're going to be lighting the forge soon and Aqua and I would love to make some armor for the both of you. So you're both welcome to come by any time you'd like and we'll show you the ropes."

"Keyblade armor? Really?" Riku's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" Terra smiled. "You both have more than earned that much. You two just watch out for each other for now. Enjoy the peace while you can."

Sora sprinted for the gummi ship in the court yard, his steps echoing in the empty marble halls and his heart pounding in his ears as he fisted at his eyes. _This is stupid. I don't care about being a Master. I don't care. Then why am I so upset? I'm not crying! I'm not!_

He nearly ran over Chirithy on the way out who called out to him as he zoomed by, "Sora!?"

"Sora?" Ven peered around the corner just in time to see Sora leaving. "Sora, wait!"

Sora didn't hear Ven calling after him. He could barely even see as he ran for the gaudy red ship that he could make out from a mile away even with his tear-blurred vision. But then suddenly a hand grabbed him by the wrist and he FROZE before whipping around with his other fist. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" he shouted as he was about to deck whoever grabbed him only for his fist to be caught in mid-air.

"Sora! It's just me!" Ven gasped as he caught Sora's fist. "What's wrong!?"

"Ven!" Sora choked around the blonde's name as unshed tears clogged his throat. "Ven, I'm sorry I just..." he relaxed his stance and the other did as well, but he was still shaking as he tried to hold himself back.

"Sora?" Ven spoke softly as he released Sora's hands in favor of pulling the trembling teen into a hug. "What is it?"

"What if I can't ever beat this? What if I'll never be good enough?" Sora shook in the other's arms as he finally let the tears flow, sobbing into the other's shirt as he told Ven what Aqua and Terra said. "I don't even know why I'm so mad. I don't even care! And I said something awful to them but I'm not even sorry!"

"Hey, don't worry about that. They're tough and I'm sure they know you didn't mean anything by it. I've said some things to them too. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's part of being a grown-up," Ven chuckled as he gently pulled back to wipe Sora's tears away with his thumbs. "Look at me, Sora. You CAN do it. We all believe in you. But maybe they're right. Maybe now just isn't the right time. I know you want to catch up to Riku, don't you?"

Sora sniffled loudly as he looked up at Ven. "Is...is that it?" he wondered out loud. "You think I'm upset because I want to catch up to Riku?"

"Maybe," Ven smiled brightly. "Or maybe you feel like you're not completely healed until you've proven it with the Exam? Either way, you shouldn't rush it. After all, look at me! I'm not a Master yet," he chuckled.

Sora couldn't help laughing as he fisted away the rest of his tears. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Don't worry. When the time comes, I know you'll pass with flying colors. There's no doubt in my mind. You just need to be a little patient, with the Masters AND yourself. In fact, when the time comes, maybe you and I can take it together!"

The brunette brightened. "Yeah! Maybe! I'd like that!" he smiled broadly.

"Heh," Ven chuckled and ruffled Sora's hair. "So cheer up. You're starting school again soon, right? You can't go back to school with a gloomy face."

"You're right," Sora sniffed as he gave Ven another tight hug. "Thanks, Ven!"

"Anytime, Sora," the blonde smiled as he returned the squeeze. "So...you going to take them up on their offer so you can come visit me?"

"You know what...I think I will. It might be fun to see what "official keyblade training" is all about," Sora snickered as he made air quotes with his fingers, earning a playful shove and a smirk from Ven.

As the two of them laughed, Riku finally caught up to find the two near the gummi ship. "Sora! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am now," the brunette smiled. "Sorry I ran off like that. Are Terra and Aqua okay?"

"They're fine," Riku smiled as he took Sora's hand. "Their invitation still stands, too. In fact they want to make us both our own Keyblade Armor soon."

"Wait, really!?"

"WHOA! Congratulations!" Ven cheered happily. "That's fantastic! Maybe they'll let me help make it!"

"That's so cool!" Sora already had stars in his eyes as he imagined what Riku's armor might look like...and what HIS might look like too. "So we're definitely coming back for that extra training now, right?"

"I'm game if you are," Riku grinned. "But only if you do your homework first or I'm not letting you have the keys to the gummi ship."

"Okay, fine, MOM!" Sora huffed, earning laughter from all of them.


	3. The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku's first day of school!

Things got hard very quickly and Sora and Riku had to be okay with a lot of things really fast.

Sora had hoped that he and Riku could enjoy their last two weeks of summer together before they had to go back to school, but there was so much to be done. First of all, there were the entrance exams. Sora had to study really hard and Riku only had to brush up on a few things to prepare. Sora only barely managed to get into grade 11 and Riku grade 12. The younger teen was very proud that he managed to not only qualify for the grade he was always meant to be in, but he also managed to get into Kairi's class as well. It was almost like they had never left...or so he thought.

Two weeks of cramming and going over all the stuff that Donald and Goofy tried to teach him while traveling together turned out to be the easy part. In fact, by the time the first day of school was over, he was convinced that they let him into 11th grade out of sheer pity because he was NOT prepared for the workload that came with being a high school student. Not at all. Not to mention, there were so many rules!

For one, he couldn't wear his necklace to school. They had this rule in middle school as well and he was okay with it then, but the charm had become an object that comforted him more than ever these past couple of years so it pained him to leave it at home, especially since he was going to be seeing less of Riku every day. Then with the school uniform came the tie that he had to learn how to knot. Fine, he can do that. Then there came the gym uniform that he had to change into for gym class.

That would be a little more difficult.

The scars on his body were still very prevalent. The one on his chest, especially. Daily potions and cure spells have helped heal the raised parts of the scarring but the center scar was still very dark and the edges very white. The star-shaped scars on his wrist, leg, and back were also very white compared to the rest of his skin. The smaller scars scattered everywhere were barely noticeable, especially now that he's spent some time in the sun. But if he didn't want to attract much more attention to himself, he had to think of something quick. So to cover the scar on his wrist, he opted for a blue sweat band. Easy enough. For the locker room problem, he decided undershirts were probably the best bet. He'd be very sweaty come gym practice, but at least the majority of his scars would be covered while he changed. This did not account for showering after gym class though, so he still needed to think of a way around that one.

Then there were the other rules. You're not allowed to date in high school because it distracts from studying. Absolutely no public displays of affection were tolerated. And while both Sora and Riku's parents were fine with their relationship, they were asked politely to "not engage in hanky-panky" when they're meant to be studying together. Out of respect for both households, the two had given their word. But that meant their options for expressing affection were quickly dwindling. The Destiny Islands felt so small that it felt like it was nearly impossible to get away with anything and with Riku and Sora being the talk of the town as the boys who have returned at long last after mysteriously disappearing two and half years ago, they felt like eyes were on them at all times.

All work and no Riku makes Sora a very cranky boy.

The first day back started off fine. For once, Sora was so nervous that he woke up early enough to meet Riku at his house so they could walk together and meet Kairi along the way. Riku's house was further from everybody else's so normally he'd go to Sora's first. So he was pleasantly surprised to find Sora on his doorstep at 6 am. "Wow, this is a surprise."

"I just thought..." Sora scratched his cheek shyly as he adjusted the straps of his heavy backpack on his shoulder. "Maybe I could hold your hand on the way there?"

After that, it made much more sense. Riku's place was far enough removed from the others that they could hold hands for about 10 minutes before anybody else caught wise. Maybe in time they could be more comfortable holding hands the entire way to school, but they didn't want to cause a stir on their first day. "Sure," Riku smiled warmly and locked the door behind him before shoving his house key into his pocket and taking Sora's hand. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked Sora softly who shook his head as he gripped Riku's hand harder. "I'm sorry. But we'll think of something. Just try and bear it for a little longer."

"How did you sleep?" Sora asked.

"Honestly? I didn't sleep very well either," Riku chuckled.

"Heh, I'm sorry to hear that too...but I'm also glad I'm not the only one," the brunette smiled.

"So selfish," Riku smirked, earning a laugh from both of them. They still had plenty of time, so they kept the pace light as they walked to Kairi's house. 

After Kairi joined them, they let go of each other's hands and she walked between them, chattering happily about showing Sora around and about their friends Selphie and Tidus being in their class and Wakka being in Riku's. "So you'll all have somebody you know at least. There have been a few new students since you've last been here, but the classes have been pretty much the same since middle school."

"I saw Wakka the other day!" Sora exclaimed. "He's huge! He's even taller than Riku!"

Riku chuckled, "I heard he's on the blitzball team now with Tidus. Didn't he make team captain this year too?"

"I think so!" Kairi giggled. "I know Tidus has gotten REALLY good. At least I hope so. He keeps talking like he's the best player."

"Of course he does," Sora snickered.

Once they were within a couple of blocks of the school yard, Sora began to feel the stares on him and Riku from the other students as they all reached the same destination. He tried to ignore it, to pretend their whispering voices were actually being drowned out with the cries of the summer cicadas that filled the air but years of honing his senses kept him from blocking them out entirely.

"It's them. They're actually back."  
"Does anybody know where they went?"  
"I heard they were kidnapped."  
"I heard they were abducted by aliens."  
"Wait, I thought they just ran away?"

Riku nudged Sora with his shoulder as he headed to the stairs first. "They want me to talk to the school counselor before class so I'll have to see you two later."

"Wait...can we see you at lunch?" Sora asked.

"Sure, let's meet on the roof," Riku waved. "I'll see you then."

Sora and Kairi waved back but as soon as Riku was out of sight, Sora felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach. Kairi looked over and saw the forlorn look on his face and gave Sora a nudge on the other shoulder. "Come on, you'll see him again a few hours," she giggled softly. "It'll be okay."

The brunette sighed and followed her to the shoe lockers to change into his indoor shoes. "I know. I'll be fine," he huffed. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"That's the spirit," Kairi chuckled. "Let's go, I'll show you around before class starts!"

Getting around the new school seemed easy enough. He was happy to see their school had installed vending machines and even had small stores that sold food other than just what could be bought at the cafeteria. Before he knew it, the little tour was over and the ten minute bell rang for them to go to class. Through the hustle and bustle of the students hurrying to find their classrooms, Sora felt some relief as nobody paid him any mind while he followed Kairi, up until he heard an adult call his name.

"Looking to cause trouble on the first day, Sora?" the rough voice asked just before grabbing the brunette by his left wrist, making the teen freeze as it took every amount of self control he had to keep from whirling around and taking out whoever dared grab him. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" the voice shouted again, yanking Sora's arm hard to pull him back away from Kairi. It was the gym teacher, a tall hairy, muscular specimen of a man who his sweaty hair slicked back and smelled of day-old cologne.

"Please, let go," Sora asked in a voice that he hoped didn't sound too confrontational as the man's large hand squeezed around his wrist, pressing roughly into the sensitive scar hidden beneath his wrist band.

"You got some nerve. You know accessories aren't allowed to be worn by students!" the coach growled.

"It's just a sweat band, sensei, I didn't mean any harm," Sora protested weakly as he clenched his fist.

"Sensei!" Kairi's voice rang clear and sharp through the din of students as she doubled back with a dark look in her eye. "Please, let him go. He has a scar that'd be distracting to the other students," she explained softly.

The teacher growled, but let Sora go. If it were anybody else, he'd take them both to detention for daring to talk back. But Kairi was the mayor's daughter, not just some student.

"Stay in line, Sora," the teacher warned. "I don't want to hear about any trouble coming from you."

"Yes, sir," the teen mumbled and hurried to follow after Kairi so they could get to their class before it was too late.

"You okay?" Kairi asked once they were safely in the threshold of their classroom.

"Yeah, thanks, Kairi," Sora gave a shaky smile of thanks as he rubbed his wrist where the teacher grabbed him. "I'm fine, really."

The bell rang and the teacher greeted Sora once everybody had sat down and asked him to introduce himself after the morning announcements and that his assigned seat will be by the window next to Kairi who had already volunteered to look after him. At the news, Sora breathed a sigh of relief. _Okay, so a rough start. But things are already looking up. This will be fine._

After class had settled down and the teacher introduced herself, she asked Sora to go ahead and write his name on the board and do the same. The brunette hurried to do as he was asked, the chalk crumbling as he pressed a little too hard in his haste before turning around to greet everybody. "Good morning! I'm Sora! I think I know most of you already. I've grown up here on the islands but I was...away...for a little bit. So now I'm back. Heh. Looking forward to getting to know you guys again. So please look after me," he then bowed politely and hoped that would be the end of it but he already felt the back of his neck get hot as his ears picked up the excited murmurs from the other students.

"Thank you, Sora. You may take your seat," the teacher instructed. "Everybody grab your English books and turn to page 15."

On the same floor across the way, Riku was busy introducing himself to his own class as well.

"Good morning. My name is Riku. This is my first day back in quite a while. Please be patient with me," he smiled awkwardly as he politely bowed. His class was definitely a little more rowdy than Sora's, however, as it was filled with cocky seniors who immediately started asking questions.

"You going to join any sports teams?"  
"Where have you been!?"  
"Dude, we thought you were dead!"

He was a little taken aback by all the attention, even though he knew he should've expected this. But thankfully the teacher got everybody settled down and he was shown to his seat. His was also next to the window with Wakka sitting only two desks behind him. Soon the class quieted down as the teacher went over the morning announcements before asking them to open their books. As Riku pulled out his math book, he felt a warmth in his heart that he learned could only mean one thing. He glanced towards the door and then glanced out the window, eyes easily catching a familiar head of spiky hair in the window across the school yard. He may have been on the other side of the building, but even now, it was like the two were sitting right next to each other and Riku couldn't help smiling as he quickly glanced back down to concentrate on his book.

First break seemed to take forever to come but once it did, Sora thought maybe it was too soon after all. Almost immediately he was surrounded by a throng of his classmates who were reintroducing themselves as well as asking questions. The one that kept coming up was, "Where have you been this whole time?"

"Eh-heh," Sora chuckled in response for the first few times it was asked but he couldn't keep it up for long. Then he recalled the rumor he overheard at the school yard and smiled to himself before finally answering, "I've been in outer space."

His classmates all look at each other before looking back at him and just gave a huge toothy grin before they all erupted with laughter. They laugh along but when they question him further, that's the answer he sticks to. They're clearly starting to get annoyed but then somebody whispers, "If he really was abducted, it might be painful for him to talk about." Though they were whispering, it's clear that most of them heard and suddenly his classmates were quiet again. Sora was grateful for the questions about his disappearance easing up, but he also felt bad about the sudden change in atmosphere. He's sure that this won't be the end of the questions, but at least the kids in his class seem to be at an understanding.

Riku was hit with similar questions, mostly by the girls while the guys eavesdropped so he simply said with as faraway a look in his eyes as he could possibly muster, "It's...hard to talk about." That seemed to do the trick. The girls were misty-eyed and the guys were only slightly suspicious but they left it alone...for now. But now he had to deal with all the sympathetic looks, which he wasn't too pleased with. It wasn't like he was lying, however. Even if he could speak freely, talking now about how he opened the door to the darkness that swallowed their island? There's no way. He's accepted and grown past the things he's done, but that doesn't make it any easier to talk about.

The official explanation that their parents gave the teachers was that the two were lost at sea during the night of the storm when their boats got swept away and had only just managed to find their way back. Sora's mother informed the counselors about both their trauma and mentioned that they were both injured, Sora especially. But whether or not their teachers were going to take that trauma into account has yet to be seen, as clearly evidenced by the way the gym teacher roughly handled Sora earlier.

By lunch time, Sora had to restrain himself to stop from running out the door first with his lunch box to see Riku on the roof. He very, very politely waited for Kairi to finish her conversation with Selphie before the two walked up there together where Riku greeted them with a smile. Almost immediately, Sora was by Riku's side, sitting pressed shoulder to shoulder while Kairi sat in front of the two of them.

"It feels so weird opening a packed lunch from my mom again," Sora giggled as he popped the top off of his bento box. "Awwww! Look, guys!" He proudly showed them the lunch his mom made with carrots cut into flower shapes and a keyblade cut out of nori on top of a bed of rice with a little octopus weenies.

"Wow, your mom really tried, didn't she?" Riku laughed. "That's so detailed!"

"What do you have for your lunch, Riku?" Sora asked.

"I made a couple of sandwiches," Riku shrugged as he bit into one. "How about you, Kairi?"

"My mom and I made curry for the week," she smiled proudly and showed them the warm curry she had poured over the rice in her bento.

"Wow, it smells so good!" Sora praised.

"Thank you!" Kairi smiled broadly. "You two need to come over so you can have some at my place."

"Curry while studying sounds nice," Riku grinned.

"Can we have the curry minus the studying?" Sora asked, earning a laugh from the other two.

"What, rough first day already?" Riku asked.

"There's already so much homework!" Sora groaned. "And the math is really hard."

"Did you take plenty of notes, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah...but I don't know what any of them mean."

"Well at least you're taking notes. We can all study at my place today if you want," Riku offered.

"Ooh, rain check for me. I promised mom I'd help her with something when I finished my homework," Kairi declined.

"Sure. So Sora, bring all your books," Riku instructed.

"Yessir," Sora grumbled as he bit into his carrots.

Though it was warm on the rooftop, Sora stayed close to Riku the entire time the three hung out. Just the feel of his strong arm pressed against his own was enough to calm the jitters Sora had been feeling all day. Though he ached to hold Riku's hand, he managed to just slip an index finger into Riku's pocket and that felt like enough. The three were so happy to hang out together again, nothing but smiles painted on their faces as for once they finally had something to talk about that wasn't conflict-related. Riku talked about the girls following him around, Kairi talked about joining the volleyball team, and Sora complained that lunch time took too long to happen.

"Next time, let's sit in the shade of a tree instead," Riku requested. "If we keep sitting up here, I'm going to burn."

"Haha, sounds like a plan," Kairi agreed just as the warning bell rang.

"Guess we gotta go," Sora grumbled as he wrapped up his box.

"I'll meet you at the gate," Riku smiled and brushed his hand against Sora's as he left them first. "Cheer up."

"Okay," Sora smiled, his hand still tingling where Riku touched him as he watched the other walk down the stairs.

"Soraaaaaaa," Kairi teased. "Come on, your face is red."

"Is not!" Sora huffed as he followed after her.

After class, Sora quickly piled his books into his bag and managed to avoid talking to anybody else as he made his way to the school yard and practically sprinted when he found Riku standing next to the the school fountain.

"Wait, where's Kairi?" Riku asked as Sora caught his breath.

"Oh...shoot," Sora straightened up in realization. He totally forgot about her.

"THANKS FOR WAITING, SOR-RAAAAAAAAA," Kairi shouted from across the way as she stomped towards them.

"I'm sorry!" Sora pleaded for forgiveness.

"Jeez!" Kairi scolded as she fwapped Sora across the arm. "You need to chill!"

"I said I'm sorry!" Sora whined. "I feel like I'm suffocating in there!"

"You'll get used to it," Riku grinned. "You're just not used to sitting down for so long."

"And so much reading!" Sora huffed.

"Well we're about to do more of it, so let's stop by Freezy Timmy's before we head to my place. My treat," Riku offered.

"YEAH!" Sora and Kairi cheered happily! "Thank you, Riku!"

After their ice cream stop, they dropped Kairi off at home and Sora texted his mom to tell her he's studying at Riku's and will be home in time for dinner. On the way to Riku's place, with just the two of them, they both finally felt like they could breathe a little bit.

"So...how was your first day, really?" Riku asked as he finished off his ice cream.

Sora sighed and sucked on the last of the ice cream from the stick hanging from his mouth. "I nearly got in trouble for my wrist band. The teacher grabbed me."

"Wait, what?" Riku stopped and grabbed Sora's hand gently and pulled down the wrist band to see the area was already bruising. "A teacher did this!?"

The brunette hadn't even realized the man's fingerprints had already started to bruise and winced when he saw the anger already brewing in Riku's eyes. "It's fine, I just haven't had a chance to heal it," he answered softly. "It's nothing, really," he tried to convince the elder teen, but his eyes were already flashing a dark green. "Kairi stood up for me. I'm still allowed to wear it."

Riku sighed and lifted Sora's wrist to his lips, muttering a cure spell as he kissed the spot softly. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Riku..." Sora blushed at the sweet gesture, his heart feeling as if it were about to burst. "I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you too," Riku smiled softly before sliding the wrist band back down and taking Sora's hand so they can resume the walk back to his place.

Riku's parents didn't appear to be home and they immediately went to Riku's bedroom to study. During the two weeks they had before school started, Riku had set up a small study area in the center of the bedroom, a short table with cushions surrounding it, for them to work at. His mom had already piled boxes of small study snacks on it and there were plenty of spare notebooks and pencils as well as a couple of graphing calculators to use. It was almost enough to get Sora excited about studying...almost.

The two pulled out their notebooks and got to work on their assigned back-to-school essays where they had to introduce themselves and what their goals are for the semester and how they plan to better themselves in their high school careers; something Sora has never had to do before, but Riku did once when he was a freshman. So naturally Sora had a lot of questions about what he should actually write. Once he got started though, he found it hard to stop and worried that he rambled here and there, but that's just what he was used to doing. He tried to think of it like when he wrote stuff in Jiminy's journal or wrote down his own thoughts in an attempt to contribute to the growing logs of their adventures. Looking back now, they were pretty much the same, winding thoughts, some incomplete, some leading to dead ends, more questions than answers, but he remembered being happy with them because they were thoughts from his own heart. He hoped that the same sentiment would be felt by his teachers as well.

With him and Riku gently pressing their knees together under the table, Sora felt like he could actually focus better than he had all day. When it came time for math, however, he found himself losing interest really quickly. "Rikuuuuuu..." he whined as he shoved himself into the other's lap and pulled his notebook over. "I can't do this!" Luckily by then, Riku only had to do assigned reading so he was able to accommodate Sora, holding his book in one hand while he read over Sora's work by leaning over him.

"You're doing fine. You just forgot to carry the four," Riku corrected patiently as he leaned slightly to rest his elbow on the table so he can continue reading while letting Sora continue doing his homework in his lap. Eventually it got to the point that Sora was leaning so far over his own work that Riku could use the brunette as a chin rest while he continued to read.

"It'd help if you wrote your notes a little neater," Riku pointed out after Sora growled in frustration for the tenth time.

"The teacher goes way too fast!" Sora grumbled.

"It'll get easier, I promise. Just don't get discouraged. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, Sora," Riku assured him as he pressed a kiss to his temple.

"Really?" Sora blushed happily at the praise.

"Yeah," the silverette confirmed softly. "Just take your time and have patience. I know you can do it."

"Thanks, Riku," the brunette smiled happily and straightened up to press a quick kiss to Riku's cheek before getting back to work.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the two were both officially done and Sora leaned back against Riku happily. "Thanks for helping me, Riku."

"Any time," the elder teen smiled as he pressed a kiss to Sora's forehead and gave him an affectionate squeeze. "Guess it's about time for you to go home, huh?"

"What!?" Sora grabbed his phone and checked the time. Sure enough, it was definitely time for dinner. "Wanna come over to my place and eat? I know Mom would love to have you."

"I dunno, are you sure?" Riku asked.

"Yeah! Come on, it's the least I can do since you helped me with my homework. Besides...I can see this becoming a daily thing already so you might as well let me feed you if nothing else," Sora grinned.

"Lucky me," the elder teen chuckled as he kissed Sora again. "Alright, let's go...as soon as I get the feeling back in my legs."


	4. Mark of Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora garners unwanted attention during gym class. It's a rough second week of school, but he's got his keyblade armor to look forward to!

"Give it up, Bob!" Riku shouted. "It's over!"

"MY NAME IS NOT BOB!" the Master screamed while stomping his foot so hard that it shattered the marble beneath him and got his foot stuck. He growled in frustration as he tugged to yank it out. "See, you made me lose my temper! Now look what you made me do!"

The display made cold sweat pour down the back of Sora's neck. He just stomped a hole in the floor by ACCIDENT! Meanwhile he and Riku could barely stand! "Just...what are you?" he asked.

"I told you...I am the Master of Masters," the masked figure chuckled darkly. "Even if by some miracle you defeat me here, there are other timelines where I still exist. Once I conquer those, this one will affected as well. So it really doesn't matter what happens here."

"You're no Master of Masters, YOU'RE THE BASTARD OF BASTARDS!" Sora shouted defiantly!

"THAT'S why you're calling me BoB??" the Master asked in complete shock.

"Funny, that's not how I remember it happening," Riku said.

"Wait," Sora blinked and the atmosphere around them changed, the nightmare disappearing and turning into a sunny beach. "Riku!"

"Right here!" Riku called out from the sky, flying with a pair of colorful bat wings before landing in front of Sora gracefully. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course!" the brunette greeted and happily hugged his dream eater. "I'm so happy you're here!"

"Well, diving would be a little easier at your place. But I think I managed to figure it out," Riku grinned proudly.

"Aww, Riku!" Sora could barely contain himself as he squeezed Riku harder and burrowed his face into his chest. Knowing now that he'll be able to see Riku in his dreams just made the idea of falling asleep without him nearby seem more manageable.

"Hey," the silverette said softly as he brushed his fingers through Sora's hair. "I told you, didn't I? I told you I'd figure something out. You don't have to feel like you're going through this alone."

Sora sniffled as he desperately tried to hold back tears. It's been two weeks now of falling asleep without Riku, two weeks of tossing and turning and just aching for Riku. When he could sleep, it was restless. When he wasn't having nightmares he was just always waiting for Riku to show up, as if he knew Riku was trying to reach him but just couldn't. Now he's finally here. "I know. I knew you would. I just wish there was a way I could've made it easier for you."

"Hey, you kept the link wide open. That was more than enough. It just took a little longer than I would've liked. But I'm here now," Riku sighed contently as he leaned his head down to bury his nose into Sora's hair. He missed him just as much, probably more. He felt like he couldn't relax without Sora in the bed with him, even if he did know Sora was okay and safe at home. Learning how to sleep without Sora next to him felt as unnatural as sleeping upside down. Night after night when he couldn't fall asleep on his own, he'd reach through their link, unable to accept that proximity would have anything to do with why he should or shouldn't be allowed to dive into his dreams. He just kept telling himself that if their hearts are connected and that they're always together even if they're apart, then he should be able to reach him no matter what. And now he's finally done it without his keyblade and without even being in the same room. He's done it!

The two lost track of how long they stood there holding each other, but for however long it was, it didn't feel like enough as both were forced to wake up for school the next morning. At least this time they both felt somewhat rested, even if they were waking up separately.

Today was Monday. The start of a new week. So far things have gone pretty okay. The three friends have been alternating between studying at each other's houses and halfway through the week, Sora realized that if he woke up early enough, he could flowmotion or glide fast enough to Riku's house without getting caught and could have an extra ten minutes of walking with him all alone than he would have if he just waited for Riku to come to his place first. Could he have made the trek fast enough if he just woke up a little earlier? Sure. But there was something exciting about cutting it close and besides he was barely getting enough sleep as it is so if being a human blur meant getting a few extra minutes of sleep AND seeing Riku for a little longer every morning, it was a risk he was willing to take.

"Did you have a good Sunday with your parents?" Sora asked as they walked, hands clasped together in Riku's pocket.

"Yeah, it was okay. Had a lot of things to talk about. I'll tell you about it later," Riku smiled. "How about you? Did you get plenty of rest Sunday?"

"I guess so. I mean, I mostly caught up on that one assignment and goofed off the rest of the day. But I also helped mom make dinner. So I have leftovers for lunch today," Sora snickered.

"Well, if nothing else, I'm happy to hear you're taking your homework seriously," the elder teen smiled as he gave Sora's hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Like you'd ever forgive me if I slacked off," the brunette grinned cheekily as he rubbed the tip of his nose with his other finger.

"SORAAAAAAAAAAA! RIKUUUUU!" a nasally voice called out from behind them causing both teens to immediately stiffen and release each other's hands just as the owner of the voice suddenly tackled Sora from behind in a one-armed shoulder hug that made Sora cry out in alarm and Riku bristle up considerably.

"Wha--, wait, Tidus!?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, it's me, man? Did you forget me? We didn't get a chance to talk yesterday!" the blonde blitzball player chortled as Sora carefully slid the teen's arm off of himself.

"How could I forget you, Tidus?" the brunette chuckled awkwardly while Riku rolled his eyes.

"Heeeeeee!" Tidus grinned widely. "So you and Riku gonna join the blitzball team or what?"

"I'm not really interested," Riku answered quietly.

"Sorry, Tidus. I just don't think I have the time," Sora answered.

"Whaaaaaat? You got better things to do?" Tidus ribbed but then gasped. "Wait, got a girl you're seeing? No sweat! Just have her come and watch you at practice! She can cheer you on!"

"Th-that's not it!" Sora protested while Riku bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"What? Afraid I'll steal your girl?" the blonde joked as he playfully elbowed Sora.

"THERE IS NO GIRL!" Sora shouted.

"What's this about a girl?" Kairi asked from her mailbox. The trio have just arrived at her place.

"Tidus is being stupid," Sora grumbled.

"HEY!" the blonde gasped. "I'm so hurt! But really, guys, you should consider joining the team! Especially you, Riku! I bet you'd be great! What's your workout routine, by the way?"

"I do a lot of lifting," Riku answered shortly. "And my answer is still no."

Kairi caught the way Riku looked at Sora as he said "lifting" and it took every ounce of self-control she had to keep from laughing, opting to cover her wide smile with her hand instead.

"Eyyyyyyyy, don't badger them, ya?"

"Wakka!" Kairi greeted just as the taller blitzball captain came up from the adjoining street.

"Ey, Kairi! And Sora! Long time no see, ya?"

"Hey, Wakka!" Sora grinned, though he had to crane his neck back in order to look him in the eyes properly. The guy was huge!

"Morning, Riku. You ready for that quiz today?" Wakka asked.

"Morning. Yeah, I think so. How about you?" the silverette gave a small smirk as Wakka shoved Tidus to the side to walk beside them next, like shoving aside an overexcited puppy.

"Eh, I did the reading. I don't know if any of it stuck, ya?" Wakka groaned as he yawned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh yeah! I forgot! Today is our first day of gym class! I heard we're doing track stuff! Think you can outrun me, Sora?" Tidus grinned.

"Huh? Um...I guess?" the brunette chuckled nervously. That's right, he almost forgot gym was today.

"You don't sound too confident. What, haven't you managed to beat Riku in a race yet?" the blonde cackled.

"No, I've beaten him once!" Sora said proudly.

Riku peered from around Wakka. "I told you that doesn't count!"

"It does too!" Sora stuck his tongue out.

"Whoa, I gotta hear about this one!" Tidus laughed.

"No!" both answered, earning confused looks from the whole group.

After first break, everybody had to report to the locker rooms to change for gym class and meet on the track field.

"Have you always had that?" Was the only warning Sora got before he felt a finger poke him on the back of the neck after he had just removed his shirt and tie.

"Hands off!" Sora swatted at the invasive hand to see that of course it belonged to Tidus, instinctively covering the scar on the back of his neck protectively with his other hand.

"Dude, is that a birthmark?" Tidus asked, seemingly unfazed by Sora's warning swat.

"It's a scar," the brunette answered quietly as he hurried to slip on his gym t-shirt, already feeling too warm with the combination of his undershirt and the slightly thicker cotton gym uniform.

"Ohhhhhhhh," Tidus made a noise of understanding as he finished changing as well but kept looking at Sora as if he expected the brunette to tell the story behind it, but Sora continued to say nothing, so he dropped the subject for now.

Sora couldn't help rolling his eyes and punching Tidus playfully in the shoulder as a sign of forgiveness as he headed outside, "Come on, let's go."

Even though he's forgiven Tidus, he couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious about the scar being visible on his neck, but there wasn't much he could do about it. At least during class he could hide it with the collar of his shirt. In gym he'll just have to make sure he moves too fast for anybody to notice it. Should be easy enough, right?

Today they were all taking turns trying out different track activities, such as sprinting, jumping hurdles, long jump, high jump...lots of jumping. The girls were on one side of the field doing the jumping events while the guys did the running stuff and then they would switch halfway through. Sora was pretty confident in his running and sprinting but many of his teammates were also on the track team so even he couldn't keep up with them. They were even faster than Riku! _Wow, some of my classmates are really amazing!_

"Pick up the pace, Sora! That was pathetic!" the gym teacher shouted after Sora finished last but only by a hair behind Tidus. "Do I need to lower the hurdles for you?"

"No, sensei!" Sora responded through gritted teeth as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He'll just have to do better at the jumps when the time comes. As he caught his breath, he could hear the whispers of his classmates. Again, he tried not to listen, but he heard his name and suddenly it was like he could hear everything.

"Sensei's being a little harsh to Sora, isn't he?"  
"Kinda sad to see him get beat by Tidus, though."  
"Yeah, but did you see that scar on his leg? Maybe he's hurt."  
"You think so?"  
"Maybe."

Sora swallowed hard and shook his head a little to mentally reset and wiped more sweat off his brow on the back of his sweat band. He's going to have to find a better undershirt. This really sucks.

 _At least the people in my class seem somewhat kind. It's not like they're making fun of me._ Truth be told, he didn't really care what he looked like to them. But he didn't want all the attention, either. He also didn't want the pity. He wasn't sure which would be worse...the pitiful stares or the mocking ones. He'd rather not find out and just stay hidden altogether.

Soon it was time to switch with the girls and Sora exchanged smiles with Kairi and Selphie as they passed each other while he made his way to the high jump pad. He tried to pay attention while the teacher gave instructions and had them all line up, asking one of the students on the track team to demonstrate the proper way to run and do the jump, back over bar. Had he been paying attention, he might've noticed that the teacher had set the bar quite a bit higher than what would be considered fit for a beginner. Instead, Sora found himself distracted by a small pain in his chest, a pounding in his heart, something that made his ribs feel tight. _I feel like someone's calling for me. Someone far away. I feel so sad._

"SORA! LET'S GO!"

"Wuh?" the brunette snaps out of it to realize his class had been waiting on him. "Oh, sorry!" he tried to laugh it off and rubbed the back of his head before hurrying to make his jump. But he's so shaken by what he just felt. He was sure of it, it was the cry of another world in need of help. He's so amped with adrenaline that he forgets to tone it down when he sprints and makes the jump way higher than he was supposed to, clearing the high bar by more than enough and landing gracefully on the mat before casually rolling off of it and getting back in line with the students, so deep in thought he didn't even realize that his classmates were gawking at him.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?"

"Huh?" Sora looked back to the teacher. "I'm sorry, did I do it wrong?"

"Sora!" Tidus called out, "You were amazing!" The class started breaking out into whispers and murmurs of praise before the teacher blew his whistle to put a stop to it.

"Back in line! I want to see that again! Everybody else to the long jump!"

Sora wasn't sure what to do, but at least the teacher didn't seem mad at him anymore? So when the bar was raised even higher and he was instructed to jump, he did, though he did his best to tone it down. He thought that would be the end of it, but he raised it until the bar couldn't be set any higher and by then his form had gotten a little sloppy as he got tired of running and he barely nudged it with his back side as he flopped over it, landing on the mat with a thud while he panted hard. "How...how many more?" he asked.

"You need to sign up for the track team," the teacher merely stated as if it were a fact and not a suggestion.

"What?" the brunette asked in surprise. "But you just saw me get beaten by--"

"End of discussion."

"Eh-heh," Sora chuckled nervously as he finally rolled off the mat. "Sensei, I'm really flattered but I don't have the time to--"

"WHAT? You got some other club activity you're doing!?" the teacher suddenly snapped and got all up in Sora's face.

"SENSEEEEEEEEEEIIII!" Tidus shouted from the long jump area where the other students were still waiting. "You want us to jump by ourselves or what?"

"Get back in line, Sora," the teacher growled and Sora did as he was told. _Thank goodness for Tidus._

"You okay, man?" the blonde muttered as Sora got in line behind him.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Sora responded cheerfully as he rubbed the back of his head. At least he hoped it sounded convincing. _I guess sensei's mad at me again._

Hearing his other classmates run and make their jumps, the sounds of their feet hitting the turf before leaping and landing in the sand, it sounded very similar to how he had to learn to jump in the Pride Lands. When he couldn't cross that ravine, he had to learn how to do a very long jump on all fours. _How many ravines have I had to jump since then? Maybe not a lot of ravines, but definitely quite a few cliffs._

The teacher's whistle interrupted this thoughts yet again and he sprung into action, not wanting to get called out once more. He dashed for the white line and he LEAPED, feet in front of him like he watched his other classmates do, before sticking the landing. _Oh no, I did it again!_

"SORAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

 _This is going to be a very long class, isn't it?_ Sora sighed to himself and got back in line.

He tried his best to have fun with the rest of his classmates as they all cheered each other on while they did their best attempts at the different activities they were being introduced to but he felt the teacher's eyes on him at all times, glaring at him and pressuring him. When it was time for them to run inside and hit the showers, he was genuinely surprised that the teacher didn't hold him back to yell at him to join the track team again. By the end of class, he was drenched with sweat and covered in sand. There was no way he could skip out.

Suddenly he was struck with a brilliant idea. First he went into the bathroom stall and summoned his keyblade and muttered under his breath "stopga"! With the precious few seconds he had, he hurried to the showers, stripping while everybody was frozen and cast a water spell to drench himself and then quickly wiped the towel over himself before dashing into his school clothes again. He moved so fast he was almost certain he used flowmotion to achieve it and by the time the spell wore off, he was back into his school uniform but he had to ditch his undershirt because it was just too gross. Now that he was dressed, he could take his time towel-drying his hair, grinning to himself proudly for figuring out a solution. _It's not violating the world order if they can't see me, right?_

"Jeez! Where did all this water come from?"  
"It's cold!"

"Eh-heh," the keyblade wielder chuckled sheepishly to himself and quickly packed his stuff to run back to class. _It should be lunch time!_

Kairi and Sora met up with Riku by one of the trees. It was a beautiful day and students were sprawled out everywhere but Riku managed to secure them a spot under a shady tree without a problem. "Took you two long enough."

"We had gym!" Kairi explained. "Some of us need a little longer to freshen up."

Sora snickered to himself as he took his seat next to Riku, again scooching as close as possible, but not too close since there were so many students around, just enough to "accidently" brush elbows.

"What's so funny?" Riku asked.

"Nothing~" Sora waved it off as he opened his lunch box. Leftovers from dinner!

"So, Sora, I heard you caused quite a stir during gym," Kairi eyed him slyly, causing Sora to choke on the noodles he was slurping. "Apparently the coach wants you on the track team really badly?"

"How'd you hear about that so quickly!?" Sora gasped after he swallowed the offending noodle that nearly killed him.

"This is high school! Word travels fast! So you need to be careful!" Kairi pursed her lips as she poked Sora in the side.

"Wait, what did you do?" Riku asked.

"I didn't do anything! I just did everything normally," Sora insisted with a pout.

"Yeah, but if you're trying to keep a low profile--" Riku pointed out.

"I don't see why he should," Kairi beamed, surprising both of them.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Sora, you two are here to ENJOY school. You're not here undercover or anything. This isn't just some other mission. You should excel however you want!" the redhead explained. "Live it up! You're only going to get this chance once. Within reason, of course."

"Yeah, but...I don't want to join the track team. The coach is such a jerk," Sora huffed.

"Then don't," Kairi said simply. "Maybe the two of you could join other clubs."

"Wait, why am I being dragged into this?" Riku asked.

"Come on, Riku! You can't tell me that there isn't some sport you would've joined if this whole thing hadn't happened."

"Yeah, but..." he glanced over at Sora who looked at him as well.

Kairi glared at them knowingly. "You two have the rest of your lives to hang out together. You only get to experience high school once."

Both their faces immediately turned red and they glanced to the side, earning laughter from Kairi.

"Omigosh, you two. Seriously? THAT'S why you're not joining any teams?" she asked in a lower voice.

"It's not just that!" Sora insisted. "The homework is still taking me a lot of time. Plus we're going to the Land of Departure on the weekends to train," he explained in a quieter voice.

"You're training? Really? Why, Sora?" Kairi asked, clearly very upset with the idea.

"I want to earn my Mark of Mastery. Aqua and Terra refused to give me the exam but they offered to give me training. Plus they want to give Riku and I some armor so we'll be learning how to use it together."

"But Sora--"

"Besides, it's not like we're done with everything yet," Sora insisted.

"Wait, what?" Kairi asked and the statement earned a raised eyebrow from Riku as well.

"During class today...I could hear somebody calling for me," Sora whispered. "I think it's another world in trouble."

"We'll have to text Master Yen Sid about it later," Riku said calmly as he sipped the rest of his soup from his bowl. "But for now, try not to let it get to you."

"But--"

"Like Kairi said, we're here to live out life normally for a bit. That's what you wanted, right?" Riku smiled gently. "Besides, there are other keyblade wielders now. It's not just you anymore."

"Right," Sora nodded as he kept his eyes down on his half-eaten lunch.

"Don't look so down, Sora," Kairi smiled while she gently nudged him. "You've earned this break. Enjoy it."

"Can it really be considered a break if I have so much homework?" Sora whined earning a laugh from the other two.

"Come on, it's not that bad," Riku nudged him too. "You're getting faster at it already."

"Yeah, because you two have been helping me," Sora pouted. "I feel like I'm in big trouble when the test comes up."

"Aw, do we need to practice test-taking, Sora?" Kairi asked sweetly.

"Maybe..." the brunette pouted again.

"Well in any case, even if the homework is a lot, you should still have time for at least ONE club activity," Kairi pointed out.

"But I just said--"

"How long is that actually going to take? A few weekends?" Kairi asked.

"M-Maybe?" Sora blinked. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure.

"So join a club next semester. How about blitzball?"

"Blitzball? Really?"

"It's not a bad idea. Wakka's been on me to sign up and the season doesn't start until next semester. That should be fine," Riku suggested. "Plus, we'd be on the same team."

Sora visibly brightened, "You think?"

"Then it's settled!" Kairi cheered. "Starting next semester, you two will try out for blitzball."

"Okay, great, but what about now? What do I do to get the track coach off my back?" Sora asked.

"Just say you're doing remedial tutoring," the redhead suggested with a wink. "You've been gone for two years. That should be believable enough."

"Yeah, I guess," Sora nodded. "Are you in any clubs, Kairi?"

"I'm in the writing club. That means I'll have plenty of time to come cheer you two on when you guys start playing!" she giggled.

"Well we haven't even made the team yet," Riku pointed out.

"Oh I know you two will! How can you not?"

"Just because we can swim and hold our breath doesn't mean we know how to throw a blitzball," Sora laughed.

"Oh come on, Sora! I've seen you throw your keyblade like a frisbee. How much different can throwing a volleyball under water be?" the redhead snickered.

"Urgh...the idea and physics for that sport don't make any sense!"

"So it's perfect for you two!"

"Hey!" both boys glared half-heartedly but then they all laughed.

Though Sora's spirits had brightened considerably after lunch, he began to feel uneasy again during class. He did his best to occupy his hands by taking as many notes as possible, did his best to write neatly, but every few moments he felt something akin to a surge in his heart, his breath would get caught, and he would grip his pencil so tightly he'd break the lead. After snapping his lead for the fourth time, he was forced to use a mechanical pencil. The lead snapped a little more easily but at least he didn't have to sharpen it every ten minutes. By the time class was over, Sora had quite the mess on his desk.

"Jeez, remind me to never lend you a pencil," Kairi commented as she watched Sora sweep his mess onto a piece of paper so he can toss it into the trash.

"Very funny," Sora huffed. "Probably just got some cheap pencils, that's all."

"Uh-huh, sure," the redhead smiled.

"You ready to go?" Sora asked as he shoved his stuff into his school bag.

"You go on ahead. I need to ask Selphie about something really quick. I'll catch up."

"Alright," he nodded and looked out the window where he could already see Riku waiting near the gate. He gave a last wave to his classmates before hurrying to his shoe locker and hurrying outside through the back so that he didn't have to shove his way past the other students who were clogging up the front entry-ways. He also wanted to see if he could playfully sneak up on Riku but on the way he heard an unfamiliar voice call his name.

"You're that Sora kid, right?"

He stopped and turned around, suddenly finding himself surrounded by five students that he didn't recognize. He was pretty sure a couple of them were in the same grade as he was, but the other three were definitely upper classmen. Just the fact that they were standing so closely already made him feel uneasy and he found himself getting especially nervous as he realized he was already somewhat trapped against the brick wall. "What's up?" he asked, hopefully sounding friendly. After all, it wasn't their fault that he was on edge, right?

"We're all on the track team. Coach says he wants you to join," the biggest of the group said.

"Oh, uh, I already declined. I'm sorry," he bowed his head politely.

"Come on, don't be modest," the other one said, but he was clearly very annoyed. "We all heard from the others how well you did. It'd be a crime to not join the team."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to--"

" _Didn't mean to?_ What's that supposed to mean?" the taller one was now furious.

"Think you're too good for us?"

"No!" Sora insisted as they crowded him further, leering as they stood over him.

"What's going on here?" Kairi shouted from behind them, looking at the boys with a very crossed look.

"What, now you need your girlfriend to stick up for you?"

"Back off!" Sora shouted.

"Ooh, now he's a tough guy!"

"Whatever," Sora huffed quietly as he made his way to walk past them. He's had enough. "I don't have to take this from you."

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet!" the taller one shouted and grabbed Sora by the arm as he walked past.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sora roared, his bag thumping hard against his back as he whipped around to face the one who dared to touch him, but Kairi was quick, grabbing him by his other arm and holding him in place.

"Sora, let's go!" she begged, tugging on him gently while Sora yanked his other arm free from the upper classman.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Sor-raaaaaaaaaaa~" the others jeered as Sora let Kairi drag him away.

The rest of the week dragged on miserably. Though he had text Master Yen Sid about the world he felt was in danger, the Master insisted that he will look into it and told Sora to focus on taking a break. _Everybody's telling me to enjoy myself, but I'm not having any fun..._ At school, his own classmates have let him keep to himself, but outside of that, he was getting openly harassed about not joining the track team, no doubt the team had been told by the coach to pressure him into joining. When he wasn't getting leered at or followed around, he could hear other students whispering, all the while he could still feel a tugging at his heart. It made it really hard to focus in class so he spent a lot of extra time trying to catch up during the week at home.

Finally, at the end of the week, they got the okay from Aqua and Terra to come try out their armor. As soon as Sora let his parents know he'd be gone for the weekend, he packed a weekend bag and met Riku at the gummi ship, the two wasting no time to get to their destination. The entire journey, Sora was practically bouncing in his seat as Riku drove the ship. "I can't wait to see what it looks like!"

Riku smiled over at Sora. This is the happiest he's seen him all week. "I know it's going to look great."

Sora grinned happily at Riku, "I know you're going to look so pretty, too!"

Riku blushed, earning another giggle from Sora as he reached over to try and poke him in the side over and over.

"HEY! Focus on driving the ship!" Sora laughed as he tried unsuccessfully to avoid Riku's jabs.

Ven was there to greet them in the courtyard and took them down to the armory area where they would be trying out their new gear.

Riku was geared up first with a bright blue-green gem on a silvery-blue shoulder plate with then yellow-lined accents. Once it was secured, Terra told him to tap it to activate the armor. Together they watched as the armor took shape, easily wrapping around his body and encasing him completely. His armor was a polished silvery blue with gold and yellow accents just like the arm plate. In the center, his chest plate greatly resembled his heart symbol and the spandex-like layer beneath the plates was a dark blue with a matching dark blue cape. To Sora, Riku really resembled a knight in shining armor and he knew he was giving Riku the gaga eyes but he didn't care.

"You look so dashing, Riku!" Sora cheered.

"Heh, thanks!" Riku mumbled shyly beneath his helmet, tapping the side of it so that the visor can open up and he can check himself out in the mirror. "Wow, it's really...um..."

"You look great, Riku!" Terra patted him on the back. "Aqua designed this one."

"Thank you, Master Aqua," Riku grinned.

"Yes, thank you, Master Aqua!" Sora chuckled happily.

Aqua smiled at them both, a tiny bit of pink on her cheeks as she happily grinned, "Thank you so much! It was my pleasure. Now it's time for yours, Sora!"

Sora was given a shoulder plate similar to Riku's but his had a red gem on gold and silver plating. On top of the gem was a gold heart that he immediately recognized. "Hey, isn't that--"

"That's the broach that held your chest plate," Riku answered. "I grabbed it when I found you after you fought Bob. It was the biggest piece I could find."

"It's perfect!" Sora smiled happily.

"Alright, you're all set. Give it a tap!" Terra encouraged, stepping back so Sora can try it out.

Sora happily obliged, giving the gem a good slap before the armor wrapped itself around him. Where Riku's was a bit broader in shape to match his physique, Sora's was sleek and looked much more...regal? His plating was silver with many gold accents and a beautiful red underlayer. Everywhere, the crown motif can be seen that matched his signature necklace, especially on the chest and shoulder plates. On his knees, he had hearts that matched Riku's and he had a flowing red cape.

[Art by Nekobanca](https://nekobanca.tumblr.com/post/626115803256897536/i-couldnt-bare-leaving-it-with-sora-alone)

But before he could even see himself in the mirror, something just didn't feel right. He felt his breathing begin to quicken. His armor felt too tight and already he was fumbling with the chest piece.

"Wow, Sora! You look...wait, what's wrong?" Riku asked, noticing how quiet Sora was, even though he can't see his face beneath the visor.

"Sora?" Aqua asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"I-I can't breathe," Sora gasped.

"Is it too tight?" Terra asked, approaching Sora to check the armor.

It felt like being wrapped in bandages all over again, except tighter. His movements were only stiffened by a fraction, but it was just enough to remind him of what it was like to not be able to move. He wasn't in the armory anymore. Terra wasn't standing in front of him. It was the Master of Masters, pointing his keyblade at Sora's armored chest.

The others could hear him breathing hard. "Sora, are you claustrophobic?" Aqua asked kindly.

"Sora?" Riku gently asked.

Sora began shaking as Terra put his hands on the armor, just hearing it click beneath his hands as he tried to see what was wrong was enough to set him off. He couldn't hear anything else. He could only see No Name pointing at him while his armor shattered into a million pieces. He could hear Riku screaming in pain.

"NO! STAY AWAY!" Sora shouted, backing up so hard that he fell back on the floor and scuttled away. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

"Sora!" Terra gasped in surprise but he stayed back. "Sora, it's okay!"

"Sora!" Riku hit his own shoulder pad to remove his armor before hurrying to Sora's side and tapping the armored plate that deactivated Sora's armor. "Sora! Look at me!"

"Riku!" Sora's eyes darted about the room as he looked for Riku's face even though he was right in front of him. The scene with the mirrored walls disappeared. He was back in the armory. "Wait, where am I? Is everybody all right?"

"Everybody's fine! Do you know where you are?" Riku asked as he lifted Sora's upper body off the floor to help him sit up properly. "Take a deep breath."

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what happened," Sora answered shakily.

"It's okay. Maybe you'll get used to it with some practice," Terra assured him gently. "From what I could see, though, the armor seems to fit you perfectly."

"Did...did it look good?" Sora asked.

"You looked amazing," Riku smiled and gave him a hand to stand up.

Sora blushed happily and let Riku help him stand up. "I'm really excited to learn from you two. Thank you so much for this gift," Sora bowed to Terra and Aqua. "So when do we get to learn how to fly?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	5. Say You Won't Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora can't sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self-Indulgent short chapter is self-indulgent.
> 
> Please click to enjoy:
> 
> ["Say You Won't Let Go" cover by Jesse McCartney](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaaZfsUHPV8)

When Sora and Riku returned to the islands that Sunday, Sora finally remembered to return Kairi's charm. The redhead accepted it back happily but was also slightly worried about what it might mean. Neither of the teens told her what had happened with the keyblade armor, just that they were both excited to learn everything about it.

The week dragged by and even with their study sessions together, Sora felt like he missed Riku more than ever at night. Even knowing that Riku would visit his dreams didn't seem like enough to help him fall asleep. The small bed felt huge and empty without Riku with him.

By Thursday, he knew he was a mess. His heart ached for Riku, but he felt another kind of emptiness on top of it. He just felt very lonely in general. As he curled up with his knees toward his chest, he looked out his window towards the play island and watched the waves of the ocean dance beneath the watchful gaze of the full moon. With a sigh, he opened the window and let the sea breeze hit his face, inhaling the cold, salty air deeply before letting out a huge sigh and resting elbows on the windowsill. As the wind brushed through his hair, he found he could hear something else. The call of other worlds was still there, but there was something else too. Something that felt like a small reprieve from their cries.

_I met you in the dark  
You lit me up  
You made me feel as though  
I was enough~_

"Huh?" Sora raised his head. The voice definitely wasn't coming from outside. He put a hand over his chest and closed his eyes. "Roxas?"

_I knew I loved you then  
But you'd never know  
Cuz I played it cool  
When I was scared of letting go~_

Sora felt himself relax as he rested his head on his arms and leaned on the windowsill, smiling softly while he listened to the voice singing through his heart. "I didn't know Roxas could sing," he murmured to himself.

_I knew I needed you  
But I'd never show  
I want to stay with you  
Until we're gray and old  
Just say you won't let go  
Say you won't let go~_

It was such a simple thing, but he felt like it soothed the ache in his chest enough to sleep. So Sora quietly closed the window back up and crawled underneath the covers and closed his eyes one more time as he felt himself falling asleep to the faraway voice of his former nobody who was somewhere out there singing, completely unaware that he was serenading anybody at all.


	6. Heartify

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tron shows Sora a new app!

Friday evening, Sora couldn't take it anymore. He had turned the mattress over and beat the ever-loving stuffing out of it, rearranged his pillows, even made the bed so immaculately that the sheets didn't have a single wrinkle to bother him while he tried to sleep but nothing worked. He knew it wouldn't work and he knew the reason why.

"I can't do this!" he groaned into the dark. His mom even bought him ear buds his dad bought him a used MP3 player to help him fall asleep.

Earlier that day he had Tron on his propped up gummi phone while he borrowed his mom's computer to help him figure out how to computer music onto this newfangled old thing but even when he figured it out, he realized he didn't know what music he liked. There was stuff he listened to as a kid that just didn't hit the same way anymore and there definitely wasn't anything that he thought could help lull him to sleep.

"Have you tried listening to Heartify, Sora?" Tron asked as he watched Sora grow increasingly frustrated.

"Heartify? What's that?" Sora asked.

"It's a new app on the gummi phones that Master Yen Sid and the others created. I'll go ahead and download it for you."

"Oh, thanks. Does it play music?"

"Yup! It plays the songs of hearts from all the worlds you've visited. I think you'd like the songs sung by the princesses of heart. They're very good!"

"Oh, I think I get it. Do you think the songs from Sebastian's musicals in Atlantica are in there?" Sora asked excitedly.

"Absolutely! "Under the Sea" is one of my favorites!"

"Mine too! I sang that one once!" Sora said proudly.

"Oh really?" Tron chuckled. "Well, you should be all set. Wait, there's a song with your name on it already!"

"Wait, I have a heart--Oh wait...Oh no...." Sora grabbed the phone and minimized Tron into the lower left corner so he can open the new "Heartify" app on his home screen. "Where is it?"

"Here, I'll open it for you," Tron offered, typing Sora's name into the search bar and sure enough, there was a song with Sora AND Riku's names on it called "Dearly Beloved".

Sora tapped it quickly, eyes widening as he heard the Sound Idea that he and Riku found in the Symphony of Sorcery play through the phone, the song of their hearts. "It's..."

"It's beautiful," Tron answered. "And it sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yeah...it really is," Sora chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I can't believe it. I didn't think I'd hear the full version ever again."

"The full version?"

"Riku made a music box for me," Sora explained. "He did his best to ask Sebastian to write the song from memory and then he had Geppetto make it into a music box. Music box or not, I always hear it right here," the brunette smiled as he put a hand over his heart. "But there's something different about hearing it out in the open and knowing others can hear it too. I'm...I'm happy."

"I think I see what you mean. According to this list, there are multiple versions of this song. If this is the song of your hearts, it must change with your new experiences."

"I think it does," Sora smiled. "I always feel like it gets better and better whenever I hear it. Sometimes it sounds sad, but most of the time it's so happy, and sometimes it's a lot of fun and I just want to...dance with Riku," the brunette blushed as he finished that thought. He knew Tron wouldn't judge.

"It appears the song already has fans. It looks like Demyx has made his own version of it already."

"Oh yeah!" Sora recalled the version Demyx played while working for the Master of Masters. To be perfectly honest, it was awesome, but he feels like he won't be able to listen to that one if he wants to relax. Nope. "Let's...not talk about that one. So you said there are others? What about...Roxas? Does he have one?"

"Roxas? Let's check. Oh, he has two!"

"Really?" Sora asked excitedly and pressed the button. One was an instrumental song that was just called "Roxas" and the other had vocals called "Beautiful Soul". "Wow! Is there a way to see how many other of my friends have songs?"

Tron chuckled patiently, "Sure, let's check!"

After some time, Sora found many of his friends' songs were instrumental. As he listened to a couple with fascination, he felt he really could hear their hearts. A lot of them were sad, but there was also triumph, a feeling that no matter what, they could do anything. They were all so different in their own way and he felt like he could sit there forever and listen, but would any of these really help him fall asleep? That much he wasn't sure about. Except for maybe the song he and Riku shared, obviously. As he scrolled through the list of other random names from different worlds, one name stuck out. "Utada Hikaru?" he pronounced it out loud before tapping the screen. It only took a few seconds for him to decide he really liked this person's music. "Oh wow! I like this one. Is there a way I can make a list of my favorites?"

"Well, if you really like one person, you can subscribe to their "Heart Station". So if their hearts come up with new songs, you'll know right away. Here, let's try it."

But even armed with some music, he couldn't clear his head enough to sleep. He found he could relax at least a little better with instrumental music, but the ones that soothed him the best just reminded him of how badly he wanted to see Riku. Finally, he just couldn't stand it anymore. With a grunt, he sat up and rolled out of bed. After flicking on a light, he grabbed his school uniform and his travel clothes, rolling them up and stuffing them into an overnight bag before grabbing his school bag next. After checking that he had everything, he scribbled a note and pinned it to his door, telling his parents that he woke up early to go to Riku's. Then with bags in tow, he tip-toed out of his window, carefully closing it behind him before climbing out onto the roof and airstepping from tree to tree and rooftop to rooftop all the way to Riku's house.

His movements were swift and silent, a mere blur as he navigated through the darkness of night, never staying in one spot long enough to be noticed or heard. He felt exhilarated as the night air whipped through his hair and baggy night clothes. Every leap closer to Riku made his heart feel infinitely lighter. By the time he leapt onto Riku's balcony and tapped on the glass, he felt like he was going to burst like an over-inflated balloon.

Riku was just about to get into bed when he heard rapping on the window in a rhythm he recognized all too well. He hurried over to find Sora on the balcony in his shoes and pajamas, proudly holding his backpack and overnight bag. "Riku!"

"Sora, what are you doing out there!?" Riku asked as he opened the door and let Sora in, but instead of answering, Sora immediately tackled him in a hug as if he hadn't seen him in weeks. "Oof! At least let me close the door!"

"Sorry!" Sora giggled as he rolled off of the elder teen and kicked off his shoes. Once the balcony was secured, he was back in Riku's arms, standing on his toes as he pressed a kiss to the other's cheek. "I missed you," he said, as if that explained everything.

"I was just about to dive," Riku said sleepily.

"Yeah but...how can you dive if I can't sleep?" the brunette pointed out.

"I guess that's a good point. Still no reason for you to come over without calling or texting though," Riku retorted as he shimmied over to the bed, the short journey hindered as Sora was still clinging to him tightly.

Sora let Riku pull him on top of himself as they both flopped onto the bed and nuzzled his nose into his neck. "Are your parents home?" he asked quietly.

"No," Riku breathed softly as he ran fingers through Sora's chestnut locks and used his other hand to rub soothing circles into his back while the smaller teen comfortably draped his body over his. "What will you do in the morning?" Riku yawned. "You're going to get caught."

"No, I won't," Sora murmured. "I brought my uniform and left a note saying I left early to go to your place."

"They're not going to buy that," Riku chuckled.

"Why not? I'm not lying. Technically I did leave early...just very, VERY early," the brunette giggled.

Riku groaned but he was also smiling as he tilted his head to kiss Sora's cheek. "That's so sneaky. But I noticed your traveling clothes are in there too?"

"Mm-hmm. I figured we can just go to the Land of Departure straight after school, right?"

"I guess that could work," Riku agreed. "But I'm still debating whether or not you should actually stay over," he teased.

"Whaaaaaat? Aren't you happy that I'm here?" the keyblader whined as he kissed Riku's neck.

 _Well that backfired._ "I am...but..." he sighed. "Fine, but we're ACTUALLY sleeping," he stipulated as he grabbed the blankets and pulled them up to cover the both of them. Sora made a whimpering noise but he felt him nod against him and smiled before kissing his forehead softly. "I love you."

"Love you too, Riku," Sora whispered as he felt himself drift off to sleep. "Good night."

"Good night, Sora," Riku whispered back as he wrapped his arms comfortably around Sora and closed his eyes.

"By the way...I gotta tell you about Heartify in the morning...it's gonna blow your mind."


	7. Under One Big Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku learns of his grandfather's death and that he has left him one last gift.

_"So many stars, grandpa! Are there as many stars as there are fish in the ocean?"_

_"Oh, much more than that, Riku!"_

_"Wow! How many more?"_

_"Nobody knows for sure. But they say some of those stars are other worlds, too, all connected by one big sky."_

_"Other worlds? Really?"_

_"Mm-hmm. Between you and me, I think your grandmother was from another world."_

_"Whoooooa, really? Grandma came from the sky?"_

_"Heh heh, well she never told me I was wrong. One day she just seemed to appear on the islands. I remember thinking I dreamed her into being as I fell in love with her right away. She had hair the color of starlight. That's where your hair comes from, Riku."_

"He what!?"

"He left it to you," Riku's father repeated. "The land is yours."

Riku reached a hand to his forehead in disbelief. This was almost too much to take in right now. When his parents asked him to have Sunday lunch with him, something felt a little off right away. Why they thought taking him to a café to tell him his grandfather had passed away was beyond him but he could tell they were at least trying to make the news easier to take. When he was really little, his grandfather would take care of him while his parents were away. They were close, but around the time Riku turned 14 his grandfather was in a really bad way. His dementia had gotten so bad so quickly that he didn't even remember who Riku was. It wasn't until Sora was asleep for a year that he went to see his grandfather on a couple of occasions. The two would talk like old times but then he would forget who he was and it was time to go. It was bittersweet, but it was one of the few fond memories he had from that time.

But now he's just learned that he passed away over a month ago, while they were all away. His parents said they wanted to wait until Riku had come back home before telling him, which he guessed he couldn't be mad at, not that he was. It wasn't like it was unexpected. But what he certainly didn't expect was the part where they just told him his grandfather left him the land he used to live on. With his 18th birthday coming up within a few weeks, he'll be legally allowed to own it and do whatever he wants with it.

After lunch, he went with his parents to check out the property. It had been a fair while since he's last seen it and it was definitely overgrown. The small house that used to stand on it was nothing but the barest sticks of foundation as apparently his other relatives have already come and dismantled it piece by piece as part of their inheritance. It was a little jarring to say the least but then near the cliffside, that's when he realized there was still one important thing left. Adjacent to the cliff was a tree as tall and wide as some of the biggest trees on the play island with a treehouse that he remembered his grandfather helping him make when he was little.

Suddenly seeing the old treehouse flooded his heart with nostalgia. For once, couldn't hold back his childlike enthusiasm and handed his father his leather jacket before climbing up the tree and checking it out. First thing he noticed was how BIG the treehouse actually was. It was just a one room typical box shape, but it was tall for a treehouse! He could stand comfortably inside with a foot of space above his head. It even had a wrap-around porch and a slightly over-hanging roof to protect from the rain. He gave a little bounce to test the floorboards and was amazed to see they were in pretty good shape. Besides a few critters and cobwebs, it was actually really well-kept, definitely better than the rest of the property, at least. The toys he left there were still lining the small shelves and some of his old childhood drawings were still pinned to the walls with thumbtacks. Crayon drawings of princes and dragons and other planets were all over the walls. There were even some drawings of the play island and a drawing of what he immediately recognized to be of him and Sora. As he brushed his fingers over the aging paper, he smiled as he recalled telling his grandfather all about his friend and the adventures they had that day; how they found a giant hermit crab, discovered a new cave, anything he said just made his grandfather's eyes light up with amusement.

With a wistful sigh, he exited the treehouse to stand on the porch and take in the view. From this high up, he could fully appreciate how far separated the property was from the rest of the town. It wasn't exactly remote, as you could still see the town from up here. However the only direct route was through a dirt road. Here the ocean was only a stone's throw away. On just the other side of the cliff behind him was a small waterfall that fed into a creek that fed into the ocean, not unlike the many small trickling waterfalls on the play island. In fact, the treehouse combined with the cliffs, waterfall, and beach was almost like having a small slice of what made the play island so much fun all in one place...just much more overgrown. "Sora would love it here," he grinned.

With that in mind, he hopped down from the treehouse to head back with his parents. He had some thinking to do.


	8. Bitter and Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Could you turn your Keyblade on a being that has no idea what they've become?"  
> -Young Xehanort, KH: Dark Road

"Look at me, Sora. You're okay. You're doing great. Just give me your hands."

Sora held his hands out and let Ven guide them to the sides of helmet as he breathed hard inside his keyblade armor. The training wasn't going well and so far Ven's guidance has been the only thing that has kept Sora grounded while he attempted to navigate the workings of the armor.

"You feel that? Nod if you can."

Sora nodded as he felt the raised button beneath his gloved hands.

"Alright, press it and it will lower your visor. Go ahead and try."

Sora did as he was told and the visor and face shield flipped back. He let out a long breath as he felt like he could finally breathe properly.

"There you go! Good job, Sora!"

The brunette tried to smile at Ven but to his right, he noticed the three masters watching him with concern. They've already shown Riku how to summon portals of darkness again and how to enter the forbidden lanes between worlds, how to ride his keyblade vehicle (it looks like a flying motorcycle), and of course all the inner workings of his armor. Meanwhile, Sora hasn't even been able to wear it for more than a minute without freaking out and Ven has only just now been able to show him how to push the visor aside so he can at least open the helmet.

"I...I'm sorry," Sora sighed.

"Don't be sorry!" Ven urged as he grabbed Sora's hands again. "You're doing great! Trust me, I know it can feel a little scary at first. It's a tight fit in there if you aren't used to it."

"He's right, Sora," Aqua assured him gently. "Terra and I are only used to it because we've been training with it for a long time."

"Yeah, but--"

"Sora," Riku smiled gently. "I'm only doing okay because I'm used to wearing something over my face. Remember?"

"Oh...I guess that's true," Sora smiled back appreciatively. That's right, Riku not only had to cover his eyes, but he wore a different body altogether for a few months. Compared to that, a suit of armor must feel like a cake walk. It did make him feel slightly better. "What about you, Ven?"

"Oh, he screamed bloody murder," Terra blurted out.

"What!?" Sora's eyes widened while Ven glared daggers at Terra.

"It wasn't THAT bad," Aqua tried to say, but the damage was already done.

"I don't like closed places," Ven explained.

"Ven..." Sora wasn't used to seeing such a dark look on the blonde's face but it was gone quickly as Ven smiled once more.

"So yeah, wanna learn how to take your helmet off next?"

The rest of the Saturday evening continued like this. Ven then suggested Sora try just wearing one piece at a time and slowly build his way up until he got used to it. So to start, he started walking with the boots and leg plates. He felt a little weird only wearing half the armor, but he didn't disagree that it helped. He just wished he could wear the cape because he felt like the armor on his hips and the tight under layer really accentuated his back end and Riku was clearly enjoying it way too much. When Sora lifted Riku's cape just to check out what he was missing, he was distraught to see that Riku had a covering not unlike the white thing he used to wear on his hips when he was in his dark possessed form. "NO FAIR! How come you get a butt cape!?"

Riku choked on the air he was breathing and quickly turned around before Sora got a chance to lift said "butt cape". "BUTT CAPE?? It's not a butt cape!"

"What else would you call it? It's not a skirt!" Sora huffed as he made to grab for it again.

"Stay away!"

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Terra asked Aqua as they watched the two run around.

"Oh yeah. Can't have both of them being distracted on the battlefield now can we?" Aqua snickered.

"Haha, good call."

But by Sunday morning, the mood was considerably less chipper. During breakfast, Riku and the other two masters received a call from Master Yen Sid. Sora was a little too preoccupied with Ven as they tried to see who can make the biggest blueberry pyramid on their pancakes without it toppling over but when there was suddenly an awkward silence in the room, the two teens noticed it fairly quickly.

"What's up guys?" Ven asked just as his blueberry pyramid collapsed.

"Riku?" Sora asked softly as he noticed Riku not looking at him.

"Master Yen Sid has confirmed there is another world that has been lost to darkness," Terra explained.

Sora felt his heart sink into his stomach. _I knew it._

"There isn't anything that you could have done, Sora," Riku said quietly as if he already knew what Sora was thinking. "If they've fallen, the darkness was already too severe for any of us to be able to do anything about it. If we had gone, we could've been lost with it."

"I know you're right, but..." the brunette poked at one of the blueberries, suddenly not feeling very hungry anymore.

"Master Yen Sid has asked us to search for it in the Realm of Darkness. He believes there's still hope, a single light keeping the world's heart alive," Aqua continued.

"There is? Well, what do we do?" Sora asked.

"I'm afraid you weren't assigned to this mission, Sora. We're going deep into the Realm of Darkness. It isn't safe for you to go unless you're used to the armor," she tried to explain gently.

"If there's a world in trouble, I can do it!" the brunette insisted. "Just let me try! I heard this world calling for me. Please, just give me a chance."

Terra and Aqua looked at each other before looking back at Sora. "Alright," Terra nodded. "After breakfast, we'll go out into the yard and see what you can do. But if you can't, I'm afraid that's the end of the discussion."

"Right!" Sora nodded. "I understand."

After breakfast, they went out to the training yard as planned. While it is true that Sora hasn't even managed to summon his glider yet, Aqua told him that if he can deal with the armor, he can just ride on the back of Riku's glider if need be. This was it, now or never.

"Just relax, Sora," Ven encouraged him. "You got this."

"Right!" Sora grinned before bopping his shoulder plate to activate the armor. He kept his eyes closed as he felt the suit envelope him and tried to keep calm as the armor's magic removed his other clothes and replaced them with the skin tight underlayer and sleek metal plating. It only took a few seconds for the armor to appear, but Sora already felt like it's been much longer. The plate felt hard against his chest, the gentle pressure against the scar there felt like a hand being shoved into his sternum. He almost felt like he could feel fingers coiling around his heart.

"Sora...?" Aqua asked gently. Sora was in the armor, but he wasn't saying anything. He wasn't even moving.

Sora clenched his fists as he tried to breathe, tilting his head back and closing his eyes inside the helmet as he took short, shallow breaths. _I can do this, I can do this. There's a world in trouble. I have to help!_

_"He shouldn't wake up today."_  
_"No matter what, you're not allowed to look."_  
_"You're not yourself."_  
_"Come on, Sora! Please wake up!"_  
_"Snap out of it, Sora!"_  
_"I need you to wake up!"_

There were chains on his arms and legs. Hard, barbed, coiled chains ripping at his limbs. A snake-like vice around his throat, squeezing, pulling! "AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGHHHH!!!!!" Sora screamed, clutching his head and furiously slamming the sides of the helmet to get the buttons to work. When the helmet finally released, he ripped it off and threw it on the ground.

"Sora!" Riku rushed forward and grabbed Sora by the shoulders to hold him tightly as the teen was already trying to rip the armor off of himself by hand. "Sora! It's okay!" But the teen was inconsolable, practically spitting through grit teeth as he actually fought back against Riku, his eyes unseeing and his pupils tiny as he fought off his inner demons. He tried so hard to throw Riku off that the elder teen actually had a hard time reaching for the activation jewel on his shoulder. Finally, he slammed his hand down on it and the armor mercifully disappeared and Sora collapsed to his knees.

"Sora!" Riku wrapped his arms tightly around the brunette, gathering him close as he ran fingers through Sora's hair. "Talk to me, Sora. Are you okay?"

Sora took long, deep breaths as he clutched Riku's shirt and listened to the other's heartbeat to calm himself enough to speak. "I feel...I feel trapped in there. I feel like I can't breathe. Even though I know I can move, I feel like I can't!"

"I'm sorry, Sora. But we need to get going," Terra stated solemnly.

"But..."

"It's fine, Riku," Sora swallowed hard and looked up at Riku with a teary attempt at a smile. "You need to go, for both of us. I'll be here when you get back."

"Alright," Riku sighed and gave Sora another tight squeeze and kissed his cheek. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" he whispered softly.

"Just be safe," Sora whispered back. "Don't make me have to rescue you again," he chuckled wetly.

"Deal," the silverette grinned before pulling back and kissing him on the tip of his nose, pulling them both to their feet. "Don't cause any trouble while I'm gone."

"That goes for you too, Ven," Aqua smiled.

"Hey, just you watch! By the time you come back, Sora will be flying around the training yard. You'll see!" the blonde grinned cheekily.

Sora and Riku clasped hands tightly as Terra summoned the dark portal, giving each other one last long look before they finally released hands so Riku can don his armor and follow after the other two Masters. "I'll be back soon," he promised.

"I know," Sora smiled as he waved. But when the portal closed behind the three, his smile immediately fell.

"It'll be alright, Sora," Ven gently nudged him. "Come on, I know what'll help."

After getting Sora some water to help him calm down, Ventus suggests Sora go back to wearing pieces of the armor a little bit at a time while doing every day tasks. Together, they exercised just like yesterday with Sora wearing the bottom half of his armor and then slowly working up to the gloves. After which, they took a break for lunch and Ven suggested they try to bake to lift their spirits and so the masters will have something yummy when they get back. However, in the kitchen, Sora found his movements still very clumsy in the tight quarters and extremely warm, so he asked for a break from the armor for a bit while they got to work on making some fudge.

"I think we should make three flavors," Ven mused as he poured over a cookbook.

"Three?" Sora asked as he searched for the ingredients.

"Yeah, Terra doesn't like sweets, but he likes dark chocolate. So I'm thinking dark chocolate and milk chocolate and an alternative. What does Riku like?"

"Hmmm...he'd probably like peanut butter," Sora chuckled as he found a jar.

"Peanut butter, really?" Ven snickered. "Alright, sounds good."

It took a little bit of time to make all three flavors, even with the two of them working together. Neither were very clean about it either and were covered in powdered sugar by the time the fudge was ready to harden. While they let it sit, Sora thought it'd be a good idea to get started on prepping something for dinner since they still weren't sure when the others would be back yet. After searching the cabinets for ingredients, he suggested a stew so that it can be easily warmed up if the three come home late. Ven thought it was a great idea and offered to assist while also cleaning up the mess they made while making the fudge.

Sora was already hard at work chopping the vegetables and getting the pot boiling with a bunch of starting ingredients, hands full by the time Ven decided they should take a break and try out the fudge they just made.

"Isn't it a little soon to try it?" Sora asked as he dug in the cabinet for bullion cubes. "We can try it after--" he turned around to see Ven already standing really close and offering him a morsel of the dark chocolate fudge to his lips.

"Go on, a little won't hurt," Ven smiled brightly.

Sora chuckled, "Fiiiine," and opened his mouth to let Ven feed him the chocolate. It was bitter and a little chewy, so he was glad it was a small piece but it was really good and still just a little on the warm side. "It's good, but it's bitter for having so much sugar in it." When he swallowed, there was a pleasant heaviness on his tongue that he didn't hate. Something about the bitterness with the tiniest hint of sweet aftertaste really lit something up in his brain, though he couldn't quite place it. He could see why Terra might prefer dark chocolate. It seemed to suit him.

"You might like this better then," Ven smiled and offered another piece to Sora, this time it was clearly the milk chocolate.

The brunette smiled helplessly, unable to resist trying another piece and let Ven feed him another small morsel. As he savored the sweetness he noticed how closely Ven was standing, almost pinning him against the pantry.

"You're such a good boy, Sora," Ven said in a low, quiet voice that Sora didn't recognize. It was almost sultry and the way Ven was staring at him with half-lidded eyes didn't help. Just the way he was looking at him almost looked predatory and it made goose pimples rise on the back of his neck.

Sora paused his chewing and swallowed hard. "Ven?" he said the other's name quietly as the other pressed his body closer and he felt the heat rise in his face.

_Most careless indeed._

"Wha--?" Before he knew it, the other teen's hands were on his wrists. Then they were suddenly pinned above his head, pressing hard against the wooden cabinet with an iron-clad grip while Ven's expression turned dark and his eyes brightened to an alarming shade of yellow.

"GUH! Ven! Stop!" he begged as the grip on his wrists tightened so hard that he was forced to drop the ingredients in his hands which clattered loudly on the floor as their contents spilled everywhere. He knew Ven had gotten stronger, but he really had no idea until now as he felt the other's hardened body press against him and his grip tighten so much that Sora couldn't even wiggle his fingers without it hurting. As he stared back into Ven's yellow eyes, his own widened in realization at the voice he just heard. It's the darkness he found in Ven's heart while searching for Kairi! "What are you? Let Ven go!" 

A voice that definitely wasn't Ven's answered, "Darkness."

The brunette tried struggling again in the other's grip, but even if he could summon his keyblade, what could he do? Ven was being controlled! This wasn't his fault! But just as he was about to lift his leg to try and kick at his shins to maybe knock him down, he felt a knee press between his thighs and gasped as the other applied a firm but gentle pressure, pinning his hips with his own.

"Wha--what do you want!?"

"Feed me your fear!" the dark voice coming from Ven's mouth hissed before smashing his lips against Sora's.

Though incredibly surprised, Sora managed to close his mouth before the other's lips made contact, screaming out noises of protest behind tightly shut lips as he thrashed his head from side to side in an attempt to throw the other off. Teeth scraped at his cheeks and lips as the other snarled with frustration before pressing even closer, making Sora gasp at the rough pressure as he felt how hot Ven's body had become...literally. The skin pressed against his felt like it was burning and his hardened muscles felt like hot coals as they pressed against him. Sora closed his eyes as he winced in pain and discomfort. But then he felt Ven's legs move again, his heavy metal boots knocking Sora's feet further apart before pressing his thigh back into Sora's groin and applying an insistent, gentle friction that made the brunette gasp, allowing the possessed teen to slip his tongue inside his mouth at long last.

In response, Sora tried to bite down on the invading tongue, but gasped once again as it practically burned the roof of his mouth, the other chuckling darkly as it clearly had no effect. In fact the other's tongue felt unnaturally large and rough and proceeded to shove itself further into Sora's mouth, getting thicker as it went along, practically choking the brunette as it reached the back of his throat.

"MMMMMMPH!!!" Sora screamed around the invading organ, again attempting to thrash and throw the other off, but the grip on his arms tightened and the pressure was so intense he could feel the wooden cabinets strain and creak from the force of his body being pressed against it, the woodwork digging into his back as the other's body refused to let him up even for a second. As he struggled, he felt something strange deep inside his chest, almost as if something was being extracted from his body. He whimpered and felt tears stinging the corner of his eyes as the rough tongue jabbed at the back of his throat and hips ground harder against him as if encouraging him to cry out more. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he felt weak. He could feel his body giving in, his limbs slackening against the tight grip that held him as he felt drained. Despite the heat of Ven's body, he felt cold, his body shivering as the other's leg moved to force him to cry out again.

_Yes...that's it..._

He heard the other's voice in his head...a cruel whisper of a creature sadistically feeding off of his pain. He felt himself slowly becoming numb as he felt colder and colder until he could no longer hold himself up. His cries stopped and he went completely limp against the cabinet, head rolling back as the cruel tongue continued to thrust in and out of his throat as if to savor every last drop of whatever it could get out of him. Finally, whatever was controlling Ven pulled back, sliding out of Sora's mouth and letting him collapse against him. "Very good..." the demon hissed into his ear.

When Sora awoke, he found himself in the spare bedroom he and Riku were staying in, tucked into bed as if he had been down for a nap. When he looked out the window, he was surprised to see the sun setting. "How long have I been out?" he yawned loudly. "Urgh..." he clutched his head as it pounded. "Did I pass out? I don't remember anything after trying to wear the armor after breakfast."

As he stretched, he realized he felt strangely empty and drained even though he just woke up. He put a hand over his chest and felt his own heart beat. "Why do I feel so...numb?" he murmured to himself before shaking his head and moving to get out of bed and put his shoes back on. "I wonder if Riku and the others are back yet. I should help make dinner."

Back in the kitchen, Ven was scrambling to figure out what he was doing. There were three trays of fresh fudge on the counter that he remembered making...but..."Why did I make peanut butter?" he wondered. There were a couple of pieces missing and he could taste chocolate on his own tongue but he can't remember eating any.

There was also a stew on the stove and a bullion cube on the counter. "I guess...I was going to add this? When's the last time I even made soup...or is this a stew?" He looked inside the pot and it appeared that there were already vegetables and meat inside. "Looks like it's almost done," he shrugged before unwrapping the bullion cube and dropping it in.

"Need any help, Ven?" Sora asked from the doorway, startling Ven so much that he dropped the top back on the pot with a loud clatter.

"Sora! You scared me!" the blonde chuckled.

"Sorry!" the brunette laughed. "I guess I was out for a while, huh?"

"Uh...yeah," Ven chuckled sheepishly. Honestly, he could only remember the two of them exercising. After that it was all a blur. He supposed it was safe to assume Sora just got tired and went down for a nap. Maybe he was the one who started the stew. "Well, since you asked, come over here and tell me what you think? Is it almost ready?"

"Sure!" Sora walked over and took a look, grabbing a small ladle to taste with. "I think it's almost there. Few more minutes. Are the others back yet? I haven't seen them."

"Not yet," Ven answered as he put the lid back on. He turned to look back at Sora, but something about the look on Sora's face made his blood run ice cold. His eyes seemed dimmer. But...maybe that's because he just woke up? But he looked paler too. Suddenly he didn't feel so good. "But I'm sure they'll be in any minute now. They're going to get hungry eventually. How about you go ahead and set the table and I'll keep an eye on the stew?"

"Sure!" Sora agreed cheerfully as he grabbed the bowls and silverware from the cabinet and hurried to do just that.

As soon as Sora was out of earshot, Ven felt very ill and ran over to the trash can near the back of the kitchen and retched hard as he emptied what little he had in his stomach. "What...what's wrong with me?" As he looked down, disgusted with himself, he realized he only threw up clear bile. There really was nothing in his stomach. "Then...why do I taste chocolate?"


	9. Riku's Birthday!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Riku's 18th birthday and they're celebrating in Disney Town!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This party has Karaoke! Please click the links below to enjoy some songs from the english and japanese Kingdom Hearts voice cast!
> 
> [Kingdom Hearts Karaoke Party!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrd4ZJYfqN8&list=PLxlpXydcYiX1zND_N2SESSzv1m2O8vGJM&index=57&t=0s)
> 
> [Miyu Irino (Sora) singing "Hikari" ("Simple and Clean")](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TotzronkNlU&list=PLxlpXydcYiX1zND_N2SESSzv1m2O8vGJM&index=55)
> 
> [Miyu Irino (Sora) singing "Under the Sea"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttvt4thfcbw&list=PLxlpXydcYiX1zND_N2SESSzv1m2O8vGJM&index=57)
> 
> [Jesse McCartney (Roxas) singing "When You Wish Upon A Star"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im2H1xrh2P0)

"Just trust me, Riku!"

"I do trust you, but couldn't you have let me put on the blindfold AFTER I was on the ship?"

It was Saturday afternoon. The two had just gotten out of school and Sora insisted that he wanted to go out for the weekend. Together the two were dressed in their super groupies outfits that they had bought in San Fransokyo because Riku assumed Sora meant a date. So he was alarmed when Sora suddenly blindfolded him and started shoving him around everywhere only to end up at the gummi ship.

"Yeah, I guess that would've been a LITTLE faster, wouldn't it?" Sora chuckled sheepishly as he took the captain's chair.

"You think?"

"Not since yesterday," Sora snickered.

"Sor-raaaaaaaaa!" Riku groaned.

Suddenly they heard an angry banging on the hull and Sora's eyes instantly widened in realization as he hurried to open the hatch.

"Wait, what is it?" Riku asked.

"SORAAAAAAAA!! I KNEW YOU'D FORGET ME!" Kairi shrieked as she climbed aboard.

"Wait, Kairi's coming too!?" Riku asked, now completely confused.

"I'm sorry, Kairi!" Sora whined as the redhead fwapped him on the arm. "I didn't mean to!"

"Jeez, you're so hopeless!" she huffed as she took a seat. "Hey, Riku!"

"Hi, Kairi," Riku smiled helplessly.

Sora rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he settled back into the captain's chair. "Okay, so are we forgetting anything else?"

"What do you mean "we"?" Kairi asked.

"Okay, did _I_ forget anything else?" Sora corrected himself.

"Hope not," the redhead grinned as she put on her seatbelt.

"Ditto. Okay, let's go!" Sora clapped his hands together before inputting a few things into the navigation screen and then they took off!

"So why am I the only one blindfolded?" Riku asked.

"I told you, it's a surprise," Sora answered, unable to hide the glee in his own voice.

"Well clearly you're taking me somewhere. Am I allowed to guess?"

"You wouldn't be able to. You've never been there," Sora snickered, clearly thinking he was being so clever.

"How would you know? You don't know all the different places I've been," Riku frowned.

Sora gasped, "You mean to tell me that you've kept secrets?"

"N-no, that's not--"

"Kidding!" Sora smirked and kissed his cheek, surprising the elder teen into blushing.

"What's that weird smell?" Kairi asked, changing the subject entirely.

"What smell?" Sora asked.

"I dunno...it smells...weird," Kairi explained vaguely.

Riku gave the air a good sniff, "I don't smell anything too weird, it just smells...lived-in?"

"When's the last time you two cleaned out this ship?" Kairi wrinkled her nose.

"Uhhhh..." Sora chuckled nervously. "Usually the brooms clean it out when we take it to Chip and Dale's garage to get serviced.

"Uh-huh...that explains it," the redhead gave the two an exasperated look. "You doing okay over there, Riku?"

"I'm bored," Riku huffed. "I can't look at my phone."

"How about I turn Heartify on?" Sora asked as he reached over to the console because of course the app has been installed on the gummi ship computer as well. "Which Heart Station should we listen to?"

And that's how the rest of the trip went. By the time they reached their destination, they were all more than well-versed in all the most popular songs that Heartify had to offer. When Sora held Riku's hand to help him disembark, he could already hear the sounds of cheerful music. Beneath his feet he felt pavement and there was a sweet smell wafting through the air. Behind him, Sora urged him forward while giggling under his breath and Kairi led him forward by his hand.

"Haha! Glad to see you've made it in one piece!"

"Mickey?" Riku asked. "You're here too? Where are we?"

"You gonna keep him blindfolded all day, Sora?"

"Okay, okay. You can take it off now, Riku!"

Sora didn't wait for him to remove it on his own, instead Riku felt the blindfold getting pulled off in one swift movement. When he opened his eyes, he blinked to adjust to the bright light to find himself in a colorful town and all their friends were there armed with party poppers!

"Wha--?"

"SURPRISE!!!" everybody shouted and confetti and streamers flew everywhere as they cracked their poppers all at once! "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RIKU!"

"Ha...of course," he looked to Sora and Kairi. "I should've known."

"Were you surprised?" Sora asked.

"Definitely," he grinned, though he was only being partially honest. He had a feeling the two were up to something given how bouncy Sora had been all week. He glanced over at Kairi to see her grinning too and for the first time saw what she was wearing. She was dressed really sharply in a white blouse and black skirt with knee-high boots and a cute pink trench coat. "Wow, you look really nice, Kairi."

"Thank you, Riku!" Kairi blushed happily. "I ordered it from the store Sora said you two shopped. I really liked their selection."

"It suits you," Sora grinned.

Suddenly Riku felt a sharp pinch on his side and whipped around to see a certain blonde grinning broadly. "Happy Birthday!"

"Roxas!"

"Heh heh. I don't think you need to grow any taller, but how could I resist?" the former nobody grinned cheekily.

"Oh really?" Riku grinned and leaned in really close into Roxas's space. "You could've kissed me instead~"

"GET REAL!" Roxas shoved him back, face burning scarlet and earning a loud laugh from Riku.

"See, you look good in red," the elder teen further teased before greeting Xion and Naminé next.

Both teens greeted him happily with little waves. "Mind if we give you a kiss instead, Riku?" Naminé asked sweetly.

"Uh, sure," he agreed and leaned down, unable to keep his own face from burning as each of them placed a peck on each of his cheeks.

"Wait, me too!" Kairi shouted and practically leap-frogged onto his back to give him a kiss on the cheek as well.

"WHOA! HEY!" he chortled and grabbed her arms around his shoulders to hold them there before spinning around to give her a ride. "NO SNEAK ATTACKS!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!! RIKU! PUT ME DOWN!!" the redhead squealed as she flailed her legs. "RIKUUUUUUU!!"

"HEY! No fair!" Sora laughed as he hurried over and grabbed Riku to plant a big wet one on his cheek as well.

"So wait, is EVERYBODY kissing Riku?" Ven asked, with Terra and Aqua following closely behind.

"I didn't!" Roxas interjected.

"You still can if you want to," Riku jeered at him as he tried to fight off both Sora and Kairi who were now trying to wrestle him to the ground, apparently.

"Uh, guys, Riku's not the only ride we have here you know!" Mickey laughed. "How about Minnie and I show you around?"

"Yeah, but he's the only ride here that matters," Sora said under his breath, playfully grabbing Riku's ass before he and Kairi both let go of him.

The silverette flinched at the ass grab but did his best to keep his composure as he gripped Sora's hand a little too tightly. "I heard that," he growled back as they followed Mickey around town.

The number of guests wasn't as huge as the number Sora had for his party and Riku was very thankful for that. He had a feeling he'd be overwhelmed very quickly otherwise. Isa and Lea were there too, along with Donald and Goofy, but besides them, there were the Disney Town inhabitants joining in the festivities to make sure everybody had a good time. After a quick tour of the colorful town, they were shown the Fruit Ball courts, the Rumble Racing Track, and the musical ice cream machine. In the center of the town was a large gazebo and he could see decorated tables inside and quite the large pile of presents. It wasn't so much that there were a lot of them, but the size of each present was considerably big, dwarfing the other pile of much smaller ones set on the gift table. _What on earth could be in those large round ones?_ But as he wondered about that, Sora let go of his hand to hurry over and put his gift on the table, something small and square and wrapped in gold wrapping paper.

"Aw, Sora..." he couldn't help himself from gushing as he waited for the brunette to run back and take his hand.

"Shhhh, you saw nothing," Sora snickered as he gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Right, not a thing," Riku played along as he pressed a kiss to Sora's temple, his heart already fluttering. Honestly Sora could've given him nothing and he'd just be happy that he was here celebrating with him. Same for the rest of them.

After the quick tour, they wasted no time to get to the festivities. Rumble Racing of course was a big hit. He chose a motorcycle for himself and Sora picked a red go-cart. Terra even participated in a strange, colorful vehicle that kind of looked like his keyblade glider just...less intense? He wasn't sure how else to describe it. There were enough carts for everybody to participate with, but Riku's eyes were set on Sora's. The two of them giving each other the "you're going down" eyes all the way up to the starting line. When the gun went off, everything was a BLUR as the adrenaline rushed through Riku's veins. Tunnel vision set in as he heard Sora catching up. Soon the two were neck and neck, both laughing as the noses of their vehicles kept overtaking the other. Finally after a rousing race, Riku pulled out ahead and won the race, much to Sora's dismay!

"REMATCH!"

"YOU'RE ON!"

"How about Fruit Ball instead?" Kairi suggested.

Fruit Ball got really messy really fast. It was boys against girls and the boys were easily creamed. Turns out both Kairi AND Queen Minnie were very good and even Naminé got a few good shots in.

"I can see why you're on the volleyball team," Riku congratulated Kairi as he picked chunks of watermelon out of his hair.

"Maybe you wouldn't have lost if your team worked together a little better," Kairi grinned as she gave Riku a high-five.

"I blame Roxas."

"HEY! It wasn't my fault! Axel was throwing stuff at me!" the blonde protested.

"I thought that was the point of the game!" the redhead cackled from the bench he and Isa were spectating from.

"NOT FOR THE AUDIENCE!!" Roxas shouted!

"I'm not sure this sport is for me," Ven chuckled sheepishly as Aqua handed him a towel to clean off with.

"I think it's growing on me," Riku said quietly as he helped Sora clean up and sneaking a lick of fruit juice off his cheek.

"Rikuuuuuuuu..." Sora blushed hard at the sneaky lick. But before he could even retort, Riku was being led away for birthday cake!

"Whoa!" Riku's eyes widened as Mickey and Minnie led him back to the town square where a massive peanut butter and chocolate cake with his name drizzled on it in dark chocolate waited for him. It was four tiers tall and decorated with dark chocolate roses and lined with chocolate-covered strawberries on the base that spelled out "Happy 18th Birthday". The table itself was even decorated with yellow and blue flowers and Merlin was was already hard at work lighting sparkler candles all over the cake.

He already felt himself blushing as suddenly everybody broke into a chorus of happy birthday. He was so floored at all the work they put into this party for him, he was struck speechless. When Sora's warm hand slipped into his again, he found himself finally able to say, "Thank you, everyone! I'm really--"

"BLOW OUT THE CANDLES!" somebody shouted before they all started screaming because to be fair, it looked like Merlin lit too many and they were sparkling everywhere.

"Jeez!" Riku cried out before hurrying over and blowing them all out one by one before the table could catch on fire. When they were all blown out, everybody cheered and he turned to see Sora and the others were filming the whole thing and blinding him with their gummi phone flashes. "Very funny, guys!"

"What? We weren't joking!" Ven protested. "Those sparklers were going to melt the roses!"

"Did you make the cake, Ven?" Riku asked.

"Yeah!" the blonde grinned proudly as Merlin summoned a magical knife that quickly began cutting slices for everybody. "But I had help with the decorating."

One of the walking brooms quickly shoved a plate into his hands, a slice with the letter R written on it and plated with a chocolate rose and a couple of the chocolate-covered strawberries. He took a bite and of course it was yummy. The peanut butter crème was so light and the cake was springy but not too sweet and the chocolate was superb. "It's delicious!"

To go with the cake, there was a buffet lunch full of yummy sandwiches, perfect for grabbing and picnicking with under the shade of the many trees that were planted everywhere. As he and all his friends sat in clusters around the trees and enjoyed their cake, Riku thought he couldn't be any happier. He couldn't even remember the last time he had a party with even half as many guests...maybe when he was a very young kid with a house full of relatives' faces he can barely remember. But now he has a new extended family...and even more. He looked to Sora on his right who was trying to figure out how to eat one of the sculpted chocolate roses without making a mess and couldn't keep himself from smiling as he watched him struggle to bite it. _I'm so lucky._

They sat in comfortable silence for a little while. Riku found himself closing his eyes as he leaned back comfortably against the tree after he finished what was on his plate. Even with the lively music playing in the square, he felt a little bit of laziness starting to set in. But just before he could doze off, he heard a voice call out from a few feet away.

"What, you allergic to strawberries, Sora?" Roxas asked with Xion following behind. Both took a seat in front of them on the cool grass and Riku looked to his left to see Sora staring down at the two chocolate strawberries on his plate.

"Maybe he is," Xion said with concern. "His cheeks are all red."

"Yeah, but he hasn't even eaten one yet," Roxas pointed out.

"No, I'm not, it's just..." Sora stammered as his face continued to get redder.

_Oho~_ Seizing the opportunity, Riku reached over to pluck one of the strawberries off of Sora's plate, the brunette's eyes following his fingers as he lifted the tip of the strawberry to his own lips and sensually sucked the chocolate off the tip. He could practically see steam coming out of the brunette's ears as he watched his every move before sliding the rest of the strawberry into his mouth and eating it with one bite. "You're missing out, Sora~"

"B-b-but..." Sora stammered even harder, now clearly very flustered much to the confusion of Xion and Roxas.

"Come on, Sora. You can't waste food," the silverette grinned as he grabbed the last strawberry on Sora's plate and held it to Sora's lips. "Go on~" he whispered, his smirk growing wider as Sora's jaw helplessly dropped and allowed him to gently press the chocolate-covered fruit against his lips where the brunette took a slow, tentative bite before swallowing and allowing Riku to feed him the rest. By the time he ate the whole thing, he was redder than the strawberry he just ate. "Good boy."

"You sure he's not allergic?" Roxas asked, clearly unamused. "He looks like he's about to die."

"He'll be fine," Riku assured him. "Right, Sora?"

"Nnnnn..." Sora helplessly whimpered as he avoided eye contact with everybody. "I'm...I'm gonna...take my plate up. Yeah." After that, he grabbed Riku's plate too and it took everything Riku had to keep from bursting out laughing as Sora almost stumbled away with both their plates.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Xion asked, still concerned.

Roxas watched the brunette walk away and then looked at the smug look on Riku's face, then back at Sora, and then it seemed to click. "UGH! I think you just ruined strawberries for me too!"

"Wait, what?" Xion asked.

"Never mind!" Roxas stuck his tongue out at Riku who has now burst into a fit of laughter. "You're terrible!"

"Oh come on," Riku laughed as he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. "Can't I have a little fun on my birthday?"

"Maybe you should save that kind of "fun" for when you two get home!" Roxas blurt out just as Sora had come back with two ice cold lemonades. Though his was already halfway gone before he even sat down and handed Riku one who happily accepted.

"Do what when we get home?" Sora squeaked around the straw in his mouth but Riku only frowned in response.

The frown wasn't lost on the blonde who suddenly turned serious. "What? Something happen back home?"

Riku didn't even have to reach for Sora's hand for the brunette to give it to him, his own hand gratefully squeezing it as they rested them on the patch of grass between them. "We just can't spend as much time together as we used to," the keyblade master explained as he sipped the refreshing lemonade, the cold and gentle sourness a welcome palette cleanse from all the sweets he just devoured.

"What? You can hide a comatose teen in your house for a month but you can't find a place to make out every now and then?" Roxas deadpanned unsympathetically, earning a fwap on the arm from Xion.

"ROXAS! Don't be mean!" the teen scolded.

"What!? It's a perfectly valid question!" Roxas defended.

Sora sipped the last of his drink VERY LOUDLY, "We promised we wouldn't do anything at home."

"Uh-huuuuuuh," Roxas quirked an eyebrow at Riku and gave a little half shrug. "Now it all makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Sora asked.

"Nothing," Roxas stood up and brushed the grass off his pants before offering Xion a hand up. "You guys wanna race again?"

"Oh you're on!" the brunette grinned. "What do ya say, Riku?"

"I'm game!"

Everybody played until the sun was about to go down. But before the evening festivities were to begin, they rounded up everybody so Riku could open his presents. The silverette was already quite torn about what to open first. On the one hand, there was a GIANT round thing from Mickey but he was also very curious about what Sora got him. _Maybe best for last?_ With that in mind, he felt better about opening the giant boulder-like thing that was being rolled towards him first.

"Alright, here goes!" Riku laughed nervously as he untied the giant blue bow on top and with that, the red wrapping paper fell away to reveal a giant yellow bean bag chair. "Uh...wow...just...wow!"

"Haha! I knew you'd like it!" the king chortled.

"It's um..." the keyblade master was almost speechless as he carefully took a seat on it and almost sank into it immediately. "It's great. Thanks, Mickey," he had to laugh even as he struggled to sit up in his new yellow throne. "I think I'm stuck."

Aqua laughed, "Just stay there, we'll bring you the rest!"

From his squishy seat, Riku unwrapped the pile of presents, receiving what might look like an odd assortment of items to the typical outsider. There was a lot of what appeared to be camping equipment, but also household items, such as a large soft rug from Queen Minnie, cards from the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee saying that they're sending him a shipment of lumber and building materials, an assortment of gummi blocks from Cid, a handmade quilt from Naminé and Xion with a stitched star pattern, a "Home DIY for Dummies" manual from Roxas, a toolbox from Goofy and Donald, a new gummi phone case from Kairi, and finally it was time to open Sora's present.

He could already see Sora bouncing on the balls of his feet as he carefully opens the edges of the wrapping paper. Whatever it was felt a little heavy in his hands and there was no doubt in his mind that given how neatly it was wrapped, Sora definitely had some help. He tried to just tug the paper off but it got caught on some edges so he was forced to rip it open. Right away, he felt his heart get really warm and couldn't hold back from saying, "Awwwwww..." and holding it up for everybody to see what it was. Sora had made him a wooden frame decorated with thalassa shells and the photo framed within is a picture of the two of them in Corona. He recognized it as one of the selfies Sora took of them sharing a kiss in the flower fields. When he turned it back toward himself to look at it one more time, he was shocked to see that the photo moved! The two of them swayed together as they held each other in frame, smiling for the camera before turning their attention back to each other to exchange yet another kiss, forever in a loop of them enjoying themselves in a bed of flowers. "Sora, how did you--?"

"I asked the good fairies to work a little magic!" Sora explained proudly.

"It's soooo cute!" Kairi praised.

"I love it!" Riku blushed. "Thank you everybody for your gifts. I'm...really moved."

"Happy 18th birthday, kiddo!" Axel cheered and slapped Riku on the back, earning a flinch from the teen. "How's it feel to be a man?"

"I uh...I don't feel any different?" Riku confessed.

"Well that's no surprise," Terra smiled. "You've already experienced so much for somebody your age. We're all very proud of you."

"Guys...I don't know what to say..."

"Then don't say anything," Roxas said bluntly. "Come on, we got more partying to do!"

By now, the sun had set and the town lanterns were lit. Bright string lights were everywhere and a dance floor and karaoke machine machine and sound system had been rolled out onto the stage where the ice cream maker was aimed earlier. Hewey, Dewey, and Louie had come up with an ingenious way to get everybody to participate with a spinner with everybody's names on it. One by one, everybody was getting a turn on stage to sing along with the biggest hits from Heartify while everybody else danced and cheered them on.

When it inevitably came to Riku's turn, the silver-haired man froze. "No way. I'm not singing."

"Come on, Riku! You gotta! It's your birthday!" Sora whined as he tried to drag him by the hand towards the stage.

"It being my birthday is exactly why I _don't_ gotta!" Riku protested as Sora dragged him while everybody cheered him on.

"Come on, I'll sing with you!"

"Fiiiiiiiiine. But I'm picking the song!"

Everybody cheered and waited excitedly to see what the birthday boy would pick. To be honest, Riku didn't know very many songs but there was one that he found very catchy that they listened to on the way over here. "What's that fish song we were singing?" he asked Sora.

"[Under the Sea](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttvt4thfcbw&list=PLxlpXydcYiX1zND_N2SESSzv1m2O8vGJM&index=57)?" Sora asked giddily.

"Yeah, that's the one!"

"You got it!" Dewey cheered as he pulled the words up on the screen.

"You gotta dance with me, though, I can't sing this song without dancing," Sora quickly said as Hewey handed them both microphones.

"Wait, I didn't agree to dancing!" Riku protested.

"DANCE WITH ME!" Sora laughed as he grabbed Riku's free hand. Together they sang in a duet while Sora mostly through Riku around with some hilarious line reads that only a few who were listening intently could've possibly picked up on, such as when Riku dipped Sora back and sang, "Darling it's better, Down where it's wetter, Take it from me~"

Sora blushed furiously but kept up the pace, "Down here all the fish is happy. As off through the waves they roll. The fish on the land ain't happy. They sad 'cause they in their bowl."

Only for Riku to grab him, spin him around and dip him once again, "But fish in the bowl is lucky. They in for a worser fate. One day when the boss get hungry~" He leans in really close and sings, "Guess who's gon' be on the plate?"

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Sora screamed when he should've said "UH-OH!" much to Riku's amusement as he squirmed away and the two finished the rest of the song generally well-behaved while everybody else sang along to the fast parts.

_The newt play the flute  
The carp play the harp  
The plaice play the bass  
And they soundin' sharp  
The bass play the brass  
The chub play the tub  
The fluke is the duke of soul  
(Yeah)  
The ray he can play  
The lings on the strings  
The trout rockin' out  
The blackfish she sings  
The smelt and the sprat  
They know where it's at  
An' oh that blowfish blow!!!_

Finally, for the finale, the two were back to spinning each other and singing every other line.

Riku: Each little snail here, Know how to wail here  
Sora: That's why it's hotter, Under the water  
Riku: Ya we in luck here  
Sora: Down in the muck here  
Both: Under the seeeeeeeeeea!

Both teens were left breathless after their performance and were more than happy to hop off the stage to let the next singer have their turn, the others applauding them for so long that it took eveybody an extra minute to realize Roxas had been chosen next!

"Whoo! Go Roxas!" Sora cheered as the blonde stood stunned for a moment.

"Come on, Roxas!" Axel cheered, giving the teen a nudge to get him moving onto the stage.

"Fine fine, don't rush me!" the blonde huffed as he went on stage. Everybody waited quietly while they watched him scroll the list, but Riku swears he saw Roxas give him a look before he settled on one and stood in front of the mic stand just as soft piano music began to play.

_[When you wish upon a star](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im2H1xrh2P0)  
Makes no difference who you are  
Anything your heart desires  
Will come to you._

Riku didn't know what he expected, but it certainly wasn't this. He felt his breath catch in his throat as Roxas put a lot of emotion and softness into the song, almost unable to pull his eyes away until Sora slipped his hand into his and the two danced together in a simple two-step while they both listened.

_Fate is kind  
She brings to those who love  
The sweet fulfillment of  
Their secret longing_

Everybody seemed to either be slowly dancing or swaying gently as Roxas continued to sing. The blonde himself didn't even seem to be able to look at the audience, only barely making eye contact with Naminé and Xion before settling his eyes on Sora and Riku who he hoped didn't notice.

_Like a bolt out of the blue  
Fate steps in and sees you through  
When you wish upon a star  
Your dreams come true._

When he finished, there was another loud round of applause and whistles from Goofy and Donald, causing the blonde to blush as red as a tomato as he hopped off the stage.

"Wow, Roxas! I didn't know you could sing!" Kairi praised.

The blonde was smiling as he stared at the ground and mumbled, "Shut up, no I can't~"

"Aw, look, he's red again," Riku playfully jabbed.

"SHUT UP!" Roxas practically shouted, earning a laugh from the group. "I only did it because it's your birthday. Leave me alone."

"Aw, Roxas..." the silverette tilted his head with a smile, genuinely moved by the sentiment.

"Not another word," Roxas spat at Riku, though he did give a half grin before running off to rejoin Naminé and Xion's little dance circle.

"ROXAAAAAAAAAAAS!!!" A familiar voice rang out from an alleyway nearby that caused Sora, Riku, and all the former Organization XIII members to cringe. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" Demyx shouted as he ran over and wrapped his arms around the flailing teen.

"DEMYX!! LET ME GO!"

"Who invited you?!" Riku asked.

"Aw, come on, I just happened to be in this world when I saw there was a party going on!" Demyx explained. "Happy Birthday, by the way!"

"Thanks," Riku grumbled.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Roxas shouted before he was finally let go.

"When are you gonna sing in my band?" Demyx asked.

"How about never?"

"Come on, pleeeeeeeeease?" the taller blonde begged.

"NO!"

"Looks like we got time for one more song before the fireworks!" Louie shouted excitedly through the mic, grabbing everybody's attention once more as he spun the wheel around one last time. "Looks like our last singer is...SORA!"

"Hehe, lucky me!" Sora grinned as he took the stage.

"Oh no, we're in trouble!" Donald groaned jokingly.

"Hey!" Sora playfully glared at the court magician before scrolling through the list. He knew just the song he wanted, clicking on Utada Hikaru's Heart Station. "I'll pick [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TotzronkNlU&list=PLxlpXydcYiX1zND_N2SESSzv1m2O8vGJM&index=55)."

_When you walk away  
You don't hear me say please  
Oh baby, don't go  
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight  
It's hard to let it go_

_You're giving me too many things  
Lately you're all I need  
You smiled at me and said_

_Don't get me wrong I love you  
But does that mean I have to meet your father?  
When we are older you'll understand  
What I meant when I said no  
I don't think life is quite that simple_

Riku had only heard this song a couple of times after Sora recommended it, but already knew he liked it, especially now that he's heard Sora sing it in his sincere Sora way. It was so sweet, but now he found himself feeling awkward because his dance partner was on stage singing the song he wanted to dance to. But then Kairi came in to save him from staring at Sora for too long and together the two playfully danced along to Sora's singing. With one last round of applause, Karaoke time was over and the fireworks were about to begin!

Riku offered Sora a hand as he hopped down from the stage and the two found a spot on the grass to watch the show as Master Yen Sid made an appearance to once again congratulate Riku and put on a fantastic display of magical might along with Merlin's help after the wizard just finished stuffing all of Riku's present haul into a magical bag for the birthday boy to take home. After they found their spot, Sora clicked a few buttons on his phone and took a selfie with Riku before clicking the screen a few more times. Riku's pocket vibrated and he looked at Sora who gave him a shy smile. "Don't open it here."

"Um...okay," Riku blinked, retracting his hand as he was just about to reach into his coat pocket to check.

The two teens sat close together as they watched with Riku's arm around Sora's waist as they gazed up in wonder. Under the light of the fireworks, Sora practically glowed. Riku found himself just enjoying the flying colors as they were being reflected in Sora's eyes rather than watching them for himself. After a while, Riku found himself feeling really tired and he was already leaning further into Sora by the time the finale finished. With a sigh, he leaned his head onto Sora's shoulder while he squeezed the brunette's warm hand enclosed in his. "Sora?"

"Hm?" the brunette turned his head slightly, his hair tickling Riku's forehead.

"I think I'm ready to go home," he said just loud enough for Sora to hear before lifting his head to kiss Sora's soft cheek.

"Okay," Sora nodded and the two stood to say their good-byes. Riku kneeled to give Mickey and Minnie a big hug as he thanked them for hosting the party.

"I had an amazing time! Thank you, Mickey!"

"N'aww, happy birthday, Riku!" Mickey chuckled as he returned the hug.

"We'd be happy to have you back anytime!" Minnie smiled sweetly.

"Of course! I'd like that," Riku smiled. "Next time, you and I race, Mickey."

"Ha-ha! You got it!"

After a few more good-byes, the two of them found Kairi and they headed back to the ship. On the way back, Kairi had fallen asleep, but when they woke her up to walk her home, they found themselves unable to stop laughing, all hyped up on sugar and fun times as they recounted the party together.

"I'm still blown away. I didn't know how many of our friends could sing!" Riku chortled. "Even you, Kairi."

"Aw, you're just being nice," Kairi blushed happily. "But wow, Roxas really blew me away. I'm going to have to check out his Heartify."

"You should, but he only has one song on there where he's singing," Sora added.

"Wait, you knew he could sing?" Riku asked in surprise.

"Of course I knew!"

"Ehhhhhh?" Kairi eyed him suspiciously. "I get the feeling there's something you're not telling us."

"I agree," Riku also eyed Sora, poking him in the side to make the other spill.

"AAH!" Sora squealed a little too loudly as he ran ahead of the two to avoid their poking fingers. "Never mind, it's not important!"

"Keep your voice down," Riku chuckled. "People are trying to sleep."

"You two started it," Sora grumbled as he waited for them to catch up.

After they dropped Kairi off at her place, Riku looked to Sora. "Do you have to go home yet?"

"Hm? No," the brunette softly shook his head. "Do you wanna go somewhere else?"

"Yeah, there's...something I want to show you."

"Okay," Sora smiled as he squeezed Riku's hand.

Together the two walked somewhere discreet while Riku summoned his keyblade and turned it into his keyblade glider which had the appearance of a sleek, futuristic, silver motorcycle. It even had tires and headlights. Sora eagerly straddled the vehicle and held Riku's waist before they drove off. As they winded through the dirt backroads of their small island, Riku couldn't help enjoying the feel of Sora's arms around his waist and his warm body pressed against his back as the wind blew through their hair. They should definitely do this more often. The two were used to flying and dashing through air and just free-falling in general, but there was something different about winding through their home island at this speed on a land vehicle. There was a different sort of freedom to it that he could see himself really enjoying if he thought it was even viable for him to get a vehicle like this when he turned sixteen.

Finally, they arrived at the more forgotten dirt road that led to his late grandfather's property and he warned Sora to hold on tight as he drove them up the bumpy dirt path, keeping his head down low to dodge any low-hanging branches while Sora jostled up and down behind him.

"Riku-u-u-u-u!" Sora laughed, voice shaking as they hit every bump. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see!" Riku grinned as he gave one last rev of the engine to jump a tree root and finally they were out of the brush and had arrived at the main property where he stopped in front of the treehouse.

"Whoa...what is this?" Sora asked as he carefully dismounted the bike so Riku could dismiss it.

Riku told Sora all about his grandfather and how the property was now his as they climbed the ladder to the treehouse, the brunette quiet the entire time as Riku reminisced. "So, I want to fix this place up again. I was thinking maybe you and I could work on it together so that we'd have a space to call our own. Nobody will bother us out here, that's for sure," he concluded.

"Riku...I think that's a great idea!" Sora smiled broadly, hugging the other tightly when they reached the top. "I'd love to help out! I'm sure I can ask my dad for pointers and stuff! Wait...is THAT why everybody gave you that stuff for your birthday?" Sora gasped. "Am I the last to know!?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Riku explained sheepishly, grasping Sora's hands and apologizing with a sincere kiss. "Plus to be fair, I only told Mickey. I didn't think he'd tell everybody else. Oh, and speaking of surprises, am I allowed to see what you sent me now?"

Even though it was dark outside, Riku could feel Sora was blushing by the way he felt Sora's heart flutter through their link. "Yeah, I guess," Sora answered, so flustered he walked past Riku to sit down on the porch and avoided looking at him by pretending to be more interested in the stars.

_Well now I'm REALLY curious._ Riku sat beside Sora who still wasn't looking at him while he set his bag full of birthday loot down and dug his phone out of his pocket to look through it. Attached to a message Sora sent was a file with the warning "Open In Private". First of all, he was impressed Sora even figured out how to make a folder attachment at all. But before he could even praise him, he clicked on it to find it full of blurry photographs. Confused, he looked at Sora who now had his face hidden in his hands. Now even more baffled, he maximized them and started flipping through. It didn't take more than a few to figure out what Sora TRIED to do. It was a folder full of what would've been considered risque photos...had they been taken correctly. Most of them were blurry and a lot of them he could tell the camera flipped around at the last second, taking random pictures of his bedroom instead of himself, and some were even too dark because the flash was off. But even if he couldn't make out much, he found his heart fluttering as he realized how much effort Sora clearly put into trying to do this for him and how much confidence he had to scrounge up to pose his body the way he did.

Nervous that Riku hadn't said anything, Sora asked through his hands, "Well, what do you think?"

Riku grinned from ear to ear and set the phone down, "Oh yeah, these are hot," he praised as he wrapped his arms around Sora and pulled the blushing teen in for a kiss. "Thank you~" he murred softly before capturing his mouth again. "You're giving me so many bad ideas."

"Rikuuuuuuu~" Sora whined before the two leaned in to kiss passionately. "Happy Birthday."

After a while, the two had to break apart and they settled on watching the sky together as they enjoyed each other's company. Riku was now lying with his head in Sora's lap as they gazed up at the stars quietly, exhausted but content after such a long day. Once again, he was more entranced with Sora's face as his eyes sparkled brighter than the stars in the sky, marveling at how the teen could make him feel so happy with just a glance...with just a smile.

"The stars are really pretty tonight, aren't they?" Sora asked as he ran his fingers through Riku's hair, the silver strands slightly windswept and tangled from all the fun they had today.

He reached up with one hand to cup Sora's cheek. "Beautiful..." He smiled as Sora's eyes drifted to catch his gaze and felt the other's face flush hot against his palm.

"It's...getting late," the brunette whispered as Riku traced the curve of his cheek with his thumb.

"I know..." Riku replied softly. But he wasn't ready to go yet. He didn't want to spend a night like this alone. He felt himself swallow as he eyed Sora's lips...lips he wanted to kiss again so badly. He swore he could feel Sora trembling beneath his hand and couldn't keep himself from running the tip of his thumb over his soft lower lip. "Stay?" he whispered before he realized what he was asking.

"What?" Sora breathed against his thumb.

Riku swallowed hard, "I don't...I don't want to sleep without you tonight. Can we stay here?"

He watched Sora's eyes flutter closed as he nuzzled his cheek into his palm, eyelashes tickling his fingertips as he pressed a kiss to Riku's thumb before whispering, "Yes. I'd like that."

A lantern from Ventus, the large soft rug from Queen Minnie, the handmade quilt from Namine and Xion, and the giant yellow beanbag chair from King Mickey. One by one, Riku pulled these items out of the magical bag that Merlin packed his birthday presents in and laid them all out inside the treehouse so they would have something to sleep on. Amazingly enough the bright yellow beanbag chair was big enough to swallow Riku's entire body and then some and covered more than half the floor space available in the treehouse. After kicking off his boots and removing his jacket, Riku couldn't help flopping into the giant plush monstrosity, his laughter muffled as he sank comfortably into its squishy depths. He heard Sora laughing behind him and rolled over with his arms open. "Come here!"

Sora giggled, tearing off his own jacket and kicking off his own shoes before diving into his waiting arms. Riku chuckled as he snuggled the brunette, the two of them sinking further into the soft chair and getting pressed closer together comfortably as they embraced and settled into a comfortable position. With Sora snuggled into his chest, Riku reached for the quilt and pulled it over them before settling again with his face resting in Sora's soft hair. With a deep sigh, he lost himself in the other's scent while he listened to the sounds of the waves and crickets chirping outside combined with the sounds of Sora's soft breathing as he felt him fall asleep in his arms. While he held the precious teen in his arms, he squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his heart expand like a balloon in his chest. He was so happy. For the first time since he's been back to the islands, he truly felt like he was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, Nekobanca has contributed some art for chapter 4, so please check it out! Big thank you, Banca!! That was so sweet of you!
> 
> If any of you have fanart inspired by the story, I would LOVE to see it and with your permission, I'd even love to embed it and credit you. I love art so just seeing what you guys create just gives me all the warm fuzzies. ;o;
> 
> If any art is added, I'll definitely let you guys know in the notes for the latest chapters. For instance, I know I'm going to have some art added to part 1 in the near future. Please keep a look out for it. :3


	10. The Munny Issue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a little hiccup with the land that Riku inherited. Sora makes it rain.

"Rikuuuuuuuu. Rikuuuuuu. Destiny Islands to Riku!"

"Huh?"

"You okay in there?" Sora asked as he pretended to rap his knuckles against Riku's skull. "You've been staring at that piece of paper for ten minutes!"

Riku smirked as he swatted Sora's hand away, "Shouldn't you be be focused on the piece of paper in front of _you_?"

"Come on, Riku! What's eating you?" the brunette inquired. The two were studying at Sora's house today and were chilling out on the rug in his messy childhood bedroom when Sora noticed the lack of page turning or pencil scribbling beside him during the past fifteen minutes. It only took one look at Riku's face for him to know something was troubling him.

"Heh, you're cute when you worry."

"RIKUUU!"

Riku sighed and gave in. If he didn't tell him now, Sora would bother him all day and neither of them would get their homework done. "It's just that since I turned 18 and officially claimed the land, there have been a few...discussions."

"Like what?" Sora tilted his head.

"Regarding munny. Apparently there are taxes owed on it, taxes I have to further pay, and I already have relatives advising that I sell it to them or sell it off to pay for other things later. It's a bit of a mess."

"Wow, you've only officially had it under your name for a few days and already people are hounding you? That really stinks," Sora sympathized. "You are keeping it though, right?"

"I _want_ to. But...even though my grandfather owned the land, the taxes they want paid for are a little out of my current budget."

"How much?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry about it. Maybe I can work something out and have it paid back in increments..."

"No, really, how much?" Sora insisted.

Riku looked up and saw Sora giving him that _look_. "Sora, I couldn't ask you to--"

"Sure, you can! Come onnnnnn! Let me do this for you!" he begged.

The silver-haired teen smiled softly, "Sora, I appreciate it, really...and I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I know how much pocket money you have...or rather what you don't have." Sora's face broke out into a smirk and Riku's expression fell. He had a feeling he was about to eat his words.

"You might know about what was in ONE pocket," Sora continued to smirk as he suddenly dived under his bed to pull out a familiar red side satchel that Riku recognized to be from Sora's old set of traveling clothes. "But what about THIS pocket?"

Riku groaned and face palmed. Of course, never underestimate a hoarder. "Alright, enlighten me."

Sora continued to grin toothily as he pulled a near-bursting munny wallet out of the satchel and placed it into Riku's waiting hands, his wrists nearly crashing to the floor as he was caught off-guard by the weight. "Jeez, Sora! How much is in here!?"

"Hehehe! You should see the other wallets in HERE!" he held up the satchel proudly. "I had a lot of munny saved up before the Mark of Mastery."

"H-how?" Riku handed him back the wallet. "I've seen your spending habits and...WAIT! If you had this much why didn't you say anything while we were shopping!?"

"Well you didn't ask!!" Sora protested. "And you never let me pay for anything! Besides, most of it was here under the bed!"

Riku groaned again, "I just don't understand."

"What's not to understand?" the brunette laughed. "The Organization sent a LOT of heartless after me before the Mark of Mastery. There was tons of loot to be had!"

"Yeah, but they don't drop THAT much, do they?"

"What, don't you have Lucky, Lucky? Does any of your equipment have Lucky, Lucky? Or even Jackpot?"

"What's..."Lucky, Lucky"?" Riku blinked.

"Oh no...Riku..." Sora looked at him sympathetically. "You poor thing."

"Shut up!"

"No, literally...you were poor, weren't you?"

"I wasn't poor!" Riku protested and it's true. He did have munny but...

"So...you spent it all on me then, didn't you?" Sora asked bluntly. "I know you did. I'm not naïve."

"Welllllllllll..." Riku was about to argue.

"Shush! Look, it wasn't just heartless drops. I sold lots of materials and synthesized lots of items just to give to other friends and when I couldn't give anymore I just sold them. I eventually thought if I just saved enough, maybe one day I'll never have to lift a finger again. But you know, that doesn't sound that appealing to me, really. I've...felt what it's like to not raise a finger...I don't want that. I want to enjoy myself in other ways."

"Sora..."

"And also I love instant gratification!" the brunette grinned again and shoved the satchel into Riku's hands. "So here! Take what you need."

Riku looked down at the heavy pouch stuffed into his hands. "Sora...I don't know what to say."

"Just say thank you, dummy!" Sora laughed.

Riku grinned and lunged at Sora, pinning him to the ground by his arms as he blew raspberries into his neck, earning a squeal from the smaller teen. "Fine! Thank you! PBBBBBT!"

"RIKU! STOP!!" the brunette laughed. "LET ME GO!!!"

"No!" Riku refused as he pressed kisses all over Sora's face and neck combined with a rough nibble here and there. "So seriously, how much is in there?"

Sora giggled and yelped at the rough outpouring of affection, "I dunno, I lost count after 2.3 million."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" the older teen let go of the other and straightened up in shock.

"Is that enough?"

"Is that...Sora, that's enough to buy yourself an island!"

"Yeah, but all the good ones are taken," he laughed as he sat up and gave Riku a hug. "Please take what you need," he murmured softly. "I know how much that place means to you. Let me help."

Riku closed his eyes and wrapped his arms tightly around Sora, nuzzling into the smaller teen's neck as he sighed heavily. "Okay...thank you. Thank you so much, Sora."


	11. Headspace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku self-reflects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Riku - (Project Destati: Light)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JbxlYRPbZg&list=PLxlpXydcYiX1zND_N2SESSzv1m2O8vGJM&index=9)

Waking up alone felt like it was getting harder for Riku. Not just waking up to an empty bed, but an empty house as well. He should be used to this. After all, he's been alone before. But now that he hasn't been alone for quite some time, he doesn't ever want to feel alone again, even if it's just for a few hours.

He thought diving into Sora's dreams would make the separation at night easier. But when he wakes up after an exhaustive night of defeating nightmares to find Sora's not in the bed with him to make it all feel worth it, he actually feels fatigued.

Getting out of bed is a little harder than it used to be, but in a different way. Before with Sora, it was only hard to leave the bed because the brunette wouldn't let him or because he enjoyed just being with him. But now it's hard to get up because it felt like all he had to look forward to was a quick walk with Sora followed by a day of schoolwork, to end with a few hours of schoolwork but with Sora and sometimes Kairi.

Sometimes while he ate breakfast and prepared his lunch for the day he'd think about how this probably wasn't that healthy to feel this way. But for the past couple of years he's done nothing but think of ways to atone for what he's done to Sora and Kairi and then after that it was all about protecting Sora or taking care of him. It's been a hard mindset to escape. Even though he knows Sora can take care of himself and that he's safe...not thinking about Sora means he has nothing to think about but himself.

His own anxieties and fears, the bad memories that keep him awake, they're like a constant buzzing in the back of his head. They keep him from reaching out and opening up. Every other interaction feels like a tightrope walk while carrying a bucket of ice cold water on his head. If he spills, he'll either fall flat on his face or freeze. With Sora, there is no tight rope and there is no buzzing. But without him, the buzzing feels like a swarm that may threaten to overwhelm him.

Focusing on school work has helped. Focusing on the written word or how things fall into place with math problems was much simpler to think about. It was just the right kind of mind-numbing. Memorizing historical facts was easy. Remembering his own battles was hard. Without anything to distract him, he has nothing to focus on but the silence. Silence makes him think of the tiny noises that put him on edge. The incessant ticking of clocks remind him of the rigorous schedule they kept while looking after Sora. The flurrying of pencils as they scribble on paper reminds him of the scurrying of shadows as they rise in and out of the floor. Even a blast of cold air from the air conditioning unit over his desk reminds him briefly of the chill of Sora's anti-form body clinging to him to hide him from the mobs of heartless in that wretched clock tower.

When they sit together for lunch, just gently brushing elbows, maybe linking fingers if they're feeling bold enough, he remembers back to when he thought he could be happy with just moments like this, that this would be enough. But now that he has so much more and has tasted what it feels like to completely give himself to another person and have the other return the same feelings, this doesn't feel like nearly enough. How can he be expected to go back to hiding his true feelings away when it feels so good to not care what anybody else thinks; to just follow his heart and do what he damn well pleases?

But then Sora would turn his head and smile warmly at him and he remembers why they're even here to begin with. Hearing him and Kairi laugh together, knowing he's a part of this again...it makes the buzzing stop for a little while longer. Maybe one day it'll go away. After all, his heart is still healing, just like theirs are. At least he knows he's not in this alone.

In the Realm of Darkness, exploring with Terra and Aqua, he has to focus on what's in front of him. He knows he and Sora each have their own battles to face and not all of them can be done together. Even so, that's no excuse to hold back. If Sora had asked, Riku knows he would've stayed. But it takes a different kind of courage to know your limits and to let others go, just as it took courage to trust that the other will be okay and move forward. And yet...

_My heart is strong. It's not the darkness I'm afraid of. But then why..._

He finds himself turning back to look at the dark portal they just exited from. Terra and Aqua wait for him patiently, but it's clear that they're anxious to look for the missing world and are silently urging for him to follow. But even if Riku knows he should move forward, to help rescue the world in danger and fulfill his duty, he hesitates...

_Why is my heart telling me to turn back?_

Inevitably, he follows the two masters, focusing on the mission to make the buzzing stop once more.


	12. Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens at night in the Land of Departure when the masters aren't around?

"MMMMMPH!! MMPH!! Mmmph...mmm...mm..."

_Good. That's right, give in to your fear. I want every last drop!_

It's been four weekends now that Sora and Riku have come to the Land of Departure to train...or rather Sora trains with Ven and Riku leaves with Terra and Aqua to traverse the Realm of Darkness in the search for the world that had gotten swallowed by darkness. So far there hasn't been much luck, the only clue being that the light keeping the world's hope alive still persists.

Sora's progress has been mixed, or so he feels. Whenever he trains and dons the full suit of armor, he feels this terrible numbness inside. The trauma still floods his mind but he's not so much blocking it out as much as his heart has just stopped reacting to it. He sees the visions but he doesn't panic, his heart doesn't race, his breathing doesn't quicken. He's just...numb. The numbness allows him to at least function with the armor long enough to summon his keyblade glider, which turns out to be a board somewhat similar to Ven's, but decked out in red and gold with a crown motif. However, with the flashbacks ever present in his mind, it's an accomplishment he still feels he hasn't earned. He may not be feeling the effects of his trauma but he can't focus either. All of which leads to frustration and anger with himself at his inability to explain what's going on.

All he knows is that whenever he sleeps alone in the Land of Departure, he wakes up with the terrible numbness in his heart and he doesn't know why. It leaves him yearning for Riku until he comes back and unable to voice why he needs him so badly whenever he finally has him in his arms again. Riku just assumes it's because Sora's worried about him, but there's something deeper than that.

Every weekend, he's briefly reminded of the cause. And every weekend he's been forced to forget.

He'll be asleep and be awoken by an invasive tongue and a scorching body lying on top of his. He'll scream and fight as strong hands pin him down but nobody will hear him. Knees jam themselves painfully into his spread thighs and sometimes it only takes one hand to grab both his wrists while the other hand wraps itself around his throat, forcing him to gasp until he opens his mouth wider and be punished further.

_Such a feast. I merely have to touch you and the flames of your fear ignite!_

He'll scream and thrash until he can't anymore, until his muffled cries of protest become quiet moans of defiance. Whenever he stops making noise, the hand on his throat will squeeze again or press into his chest, all the places he doesn't ever want to be touched, just to get one last rise out of him before his attacker is finally sated and slips his tongue out of his throat. Yellow eyes take pleasure in watching him gasp and wheeze as he struggles to recover and catch his breath, all before his world goes black once again.

He has been an unwilling and unknowing participant in this cycle, but every time Sora is reminded of it, he gets bolder, his fear turning into cunning...and curiosity. As he laid heaving beneath his attacker the fourth time, he finally asked a question.

"Why?" he gasped.

"I will be reborn in the dark being bred from Ventus's heart."

"V-Vanitas?"

"Ven has been a suitable vessel up until now. Now he has no suitable darkness for me to feed from. But when I felt yours, Sora, I knew what I wanted. You shall aid in my rebirth."

_If this "darkness" revives itself...does that mean it will leave Ven? Can it be destroyed THEN?_

"Good night, Sora."

"VEN!" Sora shouted as he shot up out of bed. The numbness was back and his mind was empty once more, but one feeling persisted even as his head swam with dizziness. "Ven..." he mumbled as he turned to get out of his bed. "Ven..."

Slowly he padded over to Ven's room to find the blonde already in bed. Though he appeared sound asleep, the teen woke up as if he felt Sora's shadow from the doorframe drape over him. "Sora? What's wrong?"

"I...I can't sleep," Sora stumbled as he edged closer to Ven's bed.

"Is Riku not back yet?" Ven asked kindly as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"No. Can I...stay with you until he comes back?" Sora asked quietly.

Ven smiled softly and pulled the blankets back invitingly. "Sure, Sora." But even as he invited him, there was a look in Sora's eyes that alarmed him. The teen wasn't just half-asleep, there was something else, a dullness to his eyes and an underlying pained expression. Even his posture seemed off as he looked small and even had his right hand over his chest. Before he could even ask, the other shyly crawled into his bed and scooched in close. "Sora?"

"I'm scared, Ven," Sora whispered as pressed closer into Ven's chest.

"Scared? Why?" the teen asked as he slipped his arms around the brunette to hold him close, his heart aching as he felt the other shake against him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just feel empty. It's something I know I've felt before...like I'm forgetting something. Something important."

"Well, maybe you'll remember once you've had some rest," Ven suggested as he ran his fingertips through Sora's hair. "Everything's going to be okay. You're safe here."

"It's not me I'm worried about..." Sora whispered before exhaustion finally took him and he let sleep take him once more.

Ven blinked, "Then what?" At the lack of response, he looked down at the brunette to see he was already asleep. "Sora?" he whispered but the teen was already dead to the world. As he watched his face for a moment longer, he felt something clench hard inside him and squeezed his own eyes closed as a wave of nausea suddenly hit him. He took slow, deep breaths through his nose as he tried to fight off the sudden attack without waking the other teen until it subsided. Whatever Sora was afraid of...could it be connected to this ominous feeling he had been getting too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nekobanca has made some more wonderful art portraying Riku's keyblade armor! I've updated the image in chapter 4 if you'd like to see it! ^o^


	13. Halloween Town Bites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two ditch the islands during a school holiday to explore Halloween Town.

During a certain season, there's a special school holiday where everybody goes to the beach to watch baby sea turtles hatch and even assist them to the ocean if necessary. As the Mayor's daughter, Kairi gets to help oversee the festivities as everybody celebrates a new generation of baby sea turtles going out to explore the wide open ocean.

Everybody except Sora and Riku. The two have decided to ditch in favor of celebrating in their own way...by going to the most fun place that Sora could think of, at least at the moment.

The two landed in Halloween Town Square without a hitch and took in the sights of the town. Not much has changed from the last time Sora was here, except all the imitation Christmas decorations were gone. Even his own clothes haven't changed much, except his coat was now much longer, similar to the length of his Caribbean coat and the hem at the bottom hung in tatters all the way around.

This being Riku's first time here (officially), Riku took in the sights before he checks out Sora who it turns out looks adorable in his Halloween Town form! He has tiny bat wings sticking out of his back and the gray lace-up top beneath his jacket made him look so enticing in the way it was already tightly laced around his sculpted form. "So cute..." he whispered out loud. The cute little mask perched on his head was a good touch as well.

Sora clearly heard him and turned around to grin at him only for his jaw to drop and his pale face flush red. "No fair! You're hot!" he stomped with his fists clutched in a playful tantrum, his little wings fluttering on his back as he took in the sight of Riku. The keyblade master was dressed like a goblin king Sora saw in a movie once but also kind of like a headless horseman he's seen in a fairy tale book, except he still had his head. But instead of being all shrouded in black, he was white like a ghost with a long, translucent tattered cape that floated perpetually in the wind, kind of like how Zero's the ghost dog's body looked. Riku himself was especially pale, his hair had grown long again, and he had glowing red eyes! Everything Riku was wearing was very form-fitting, especially below the waist and Sora's eyes couldn't help drifting downwards to where he was clearly wearing a cod piece.

"Sora?" Riku blinked as he watched the brunette stare for an awfully long time, becoming more and more self-conscious by the second.

"I wanna bite you sooo hard," Sora moaned with a sly grin that revealed his little fangs to Riku who couldn't help taking a step back in surprise.

"Wait, do those fangs actually work?" he gulped.

"I dunno," Sora shrugged and brought his gloved hands to his mouth to test the tips of his fangs with his thumbs. "Feel kinda sharp, but not that sharp."

"I'm not letting you bite me," Riku said bluntly.

"Awwww, but what if I asked really nicely?" the vampirish imp whined.

"How nicely?" Riku smirked.

"Verrrrrrrry nicely?" Sora giggled as he wandered closer to Riku and took his hips into his hands, tracing his thumbs over clearly-defined hip bones concealed by tights that are only barely covered by his intricately adorned leather tunic.

"Say I agree, where might you be putting your mouth?" the elder teen asked, smirking as he slipped his hands inside Sora's coat and gripped his incredibly thin waist in his hands and pulled him closer to his own body.

Sora grinned and reached his arms up to drape them over Riku's shoulders, standing on his toes and not so subtly leaning against Riku so he can whisper into his ear, "Wherever I want~"

"Uh-huuuuuuuuuuh, and how many bites are we talking?"

"I dunno. I'm very thirsty."

"I can tell," he bit his lower lip mischievously as he tilted his hips forward to grind himself against Sora's middle.

The movement earned a loud, flustered squeak from the teen, his brain short-circuiting for a moment before he realized Riku only felt hard down there because of his cod piece and was clearly teasing him. He pulled away to see Riku giving him a huge "gotcha" grin and Sora puffed his cheeks out in a pout. Riku only chuckled in response so he stood on his toes even higher to lick and nibble at Riku's delicate earlobe. "Are you going to deny me?" he whispered silkily and breathily into the delicate shell of the silverette's ear, earning a shudder that made Sora grin with satisfaction.

"H-here? Right now?" Riku stammered. He didn't think Sora was being serious but now it seemed the teen really might be.

"Why not?" Sora purred as he kissed along Riku's jawline. "Nobody's here to see us~"

_He has fangs AND he purrs?_ Riku groaned as he unconsciously gripped Sora tighter. "Sora, we haven't even walked five steps away from the gummi ship," he pointed out.

"Oh, you wanna go someplace else? Somewhere more...atmospheric?" the brunette grinned as he pressed a chaste kiss to Riku's lips. "I know a place."

"Didn't you want to--"

Sora shushed him with another kiss. "That can wait. I want you _now_."

"Soraaaaa," Riku groaned quietly. Sora being so needy was such a turn on and he was falling for the vampire act HARD, no pun intended.

"Come on, Riku! We haven't made out in forever!" Sora whined as he buried his face in Riku's neck.

"It hasn't been forever," Riku swallowed back a moan as he felt Sora's hot breath tickle his neck. Sora wasn't wrong, though. It has felt like forever, compared to how they used to be able to touch each other whenever they wanted. But now back on the islands, they weren't even allowed to hold hands when they shared lunch together at school and they've been keeping a low profile at both their parents' places so that they'd still be allowed to do their homework together. The two hadn't even been sleeping together except for the couple of nights a week they spend together at the Land of Departure and even those were limited since Riku has been coming back from the Realm of Darkness VERY late into the night. With that in mind, it only took one more whine from Sora and he was convinced. "Okay, okay. Where do you want to go?"

After a very confusing trip through at least three or four graveyards with doors hidden in gravestones and coffins, no less, Sora had taken them to a very curly hill surrounded by more gravestones (big surprise) and pumpkin patches with the biggest pumpkins Riku's ever seen in his life. It was there that Sora dragged him to a secluded corner and shoved him down into one of the soft pumpkin patches where they were concealed by said gourds while Sora wasted no time in climbing on top of him.

"Try not to hit the pumpkins," Sora whispered as he pressed into Riku. "Sometimes they explode."

"Wait, what???" Riku asked but was smothered by a deep kiss where Sora's sneaky tongue insistently sought entrance while the barest tips of his fangs poked into Riku's bottom lip. A tug on his long hair forced him to comply as he opened his mouth in a moan, allowing Sora to invade his mouth and try to playfully claim dominance.

Sora's mischievous half-lidded eyes gleamed fiercely in the light of the giant yellow full moon as he pulled back to allow them to take a breath. His gaze was hypnotic and beautifully frightening, so much so he found himself unable to find any words to protest as Sora's hands roamed over his chest and up to his neck to undo the button that held his high collar together. Gloved fingers worked deftly to undo the fastenings there and smoothly pushed the collar aside and before he knew it, Sora had swooped down to bury himself into Riku's neck once again, nose brushing gently against his pulse point and causing Riku to shiver. "S-Sora..."

"You smell so good, Riku~" Sora moaned softly as he straddled Riku's hips and moved to lean on him as close as he possibly can, gripping both Riku's hands in his own as if to pin his hands down into the curled vines beneath him.

Riku chuckled nervously, "You really are thirsty, aren't you?"

"Yessssssssss," Sora mewled as he flicked his tongue over Riku's pulse point, smiling as he felt goose pimples erupt on Riku's flesh beneath his tongue. "Riku, can I?"

"Sure," Riku played along, tilting his head back to further entice Sora. He expected Sora to bite down only a little, maybe even just nibble or giving him a hicky or something. But he didn't expect for fangs to actually PUNCTURE his neck! He felt them pierce his skin and let out a gasp, struggling briefly out of instinct but Sora held him down fast with surprising strength for such thin little arms. They went in smoothly so it didn't hurt for very long, but still! He didn't think Sora would ACTUALLY bite him...nor did he think it would feel so...good? Within seconds of Sora's fangs penetrating his skin, the teen pulled back slightly and licked the area, making the spot numb before going back in and sucking greedily to encourage the blood to flow before lapping at the blood delicately like a cat drinking cream daintily from a dish. "S-Soraaaaa!"

"Mmmm...mmmm...mmmm..." Sora moaned softly as he went back to sucking on the small wounds, only stopping to whisper "You taste so good, Riku~" before going back in again for more.

Riku couldn't help moaning as well, his hips stirring beneath the hips writhing against his as Sora fed on him. _Why does this feel so good?_ He felt warm and light-headed but also a strange kind of rush. Plus the erotic noises Sora was making only fueled his own arousal even more.

"Does it feel good, Riku?" Sora whispered before giving the wounds one last lick, the area finally beginning to clot.

"Nnnngh...yes...but I didn't think you'd actually bite me!" Riku answered breathily as his chest heaved. He felt like he was riding on a gentle roller coaster. He felt airy but he also felt like he was hanging upside down.

"Then why'd you say yes?" Sora whined cutely as he kissed Riku, allowing the other to get a coppery taste of himself on Sora's blood-stained lips.

Riku groaned as Sora pulled away to let him answer, "I just said I didn't think you'd actually do it! I thought we were roleplaying!"

"Roleplaying? What's that?" Sora blinked.

Riku growled in disbelief but answered as patiently as he could possibly muster. "Remember that dream you had when you were a merman? And I played along as a sailor?"

"Yeah?"

"That's roleplaying," the silverette explained.

"Ohhhhhhh. I see. Well you bit me once in Thebes, so I think we're even now," the brunette grinned cheekily.

Riku let his head fall back into the pumpkin patch with a huff. Sora had him there and he knew it, judging by his cute giggling.

"Aw, are you pouting, Riku?" the younger teen giggled as he pressed another kiss to Riku's neck and muttered a heal spell to close the wounds. "See, good as new."

"Sora..."

"Hmmm?" the teen hummed happily.

"I feel light-headed," Riku groaned.

"What?" Sora's eyes widened in alarm.

"I think I'm about to pass out."

"What!? How? I didn't drink that much!" Sora protested as he carefully lifted himself off of Riku. "Are you anemic because you're a ghost?"

"Maybe...maybe...we should get back to the ship," Riku slurred.

"Hang in there, Riku! I got you!"

Back on the ship, Riku rubbed at his neck where the wounds used to be. Even though they had healed, the area still felt kind of itchy. Meanwhile Sora had his arms crossed in a pout as they flew away from Halloween Town. "I have a lot of questions for Donald about that spell next time we see him."

"You and me both," Riku grumbled.

"But we'll come back another time, right?" Sora asked hopefully.

Riku turned to look at Sora's bright, sparkling eyes and couldn't help smiling, "Of course. You still have to show me Christmas Town."

The brunette smiled widely. "Yeah! And then we can see Santa!"

[Art by RiamFatima](https://twitter.com/RiamFatima/status/1299149282914828289?s=20)


	14. Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More high school shenanigans. Sora gives the track team the slip once again.

Sora: Have you joined any clubs at school?

Roxas: Nah :P

Sora: Have you thought about it?

Roxas: Too much hw. Besides i hang out with the guys after school. that's like a club, rite?

Sora: Yeah, I guess so. :)

Roxas: Xion joined math club tho

Sora: That's great! :D  
Sora: Wait what do they do in math club?

Roxas: Math? idk  
Roxas: Naminé says she joined the art club

Sora: Tell her I think that's awesome.

Roxas: Will do.  
Roxas: Are you joining a club?

Sora: Blitzball tryouts are soon.  
Sora: But track team is on my case. :\

Roxas: Still???? U need to tell them to back off >[

Sora: I'm sure they mean well. They're only doing it cuz the coach told them too.

Roxas: Srsly? Then tell the coach to back off, idk

Sora: XD

Roxas: I mean it! Ur allowed to stick up for urself, u know. :P

Sora: I know. :[

Roxas: Then do it. >:O

Sora: Lol, I'll try.

 _If only it were that easy._ Sora's done his best to behave while in school but every day he's finding it harder and harder to even care about what's going on around him. He's trying his best to like school, but this persistent numbness in his chest seems to keep him from feeling much of anything for the first half of the week. What he does feel is frustration and the other is perhaps over-elation whenever he gets a chance to hang out with his friends. It's almost as if he feels like he can't breathe properly without them around and he knows that's not a good thing. But it truly feels like without Kairi sitting next to him and without Tidus giving him the occasional ribbing, he probably wouldn't bother showing up to class at all.

His marks were just about average. He definitely wasn't the worst in the class and somehow he found himself pretty okay with that. Riku and Kairi were excelling, of course, and he was glad to have them around to help. But again, he couldn't shake that old feeling of being useless without them. So when the track team persisted in bothering him, he was already not in the best of moods. He had to stay after school for cleaning duty and was just about to walk to the other side of the building for an extra dust pan when they stopped him in the hall to bother him again.

"Life would be a lot easier for you if you joined the team," the taller of the group said as their group of four crowded Sora against the wall.

"Didn't I tell you guys already I'm taking remedial tutoring? I can't even be on the team if I have bad grades, right?" he tried to laugh them off, but it's the same every time.

"If you're on the team...those bad grades can go away," one of the younger ones said.

 _They can do that? That can't be true, can it?_ "Ehhhh? No thanks. That sounds lame," Sora found himself saying apathetically. "Look, no means no. So if you'll excuse me." He tried to walk past them but they crowded him even closer.

"Look, you clearly don't get it, punk. Either you join the track team, or we'll give you a real reason to not join," the taller one grinned while cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, say, a mysterious injury or two," one of them sneered.

Sora's eyes narrowed darkly, instinct already kicking in. But before he could even come up with a retort, a fist was already flying at him, which he ducked from!

"SON OF A--!!" the other cried as they missed and their fist collided with the brick wall behind Sora.

Figuring that was his cue to get out of there, the brunette attempted to slip past them again, only for another to try and make a grab for him. He ducked low and slid quickly, a complete blur as he performed a reversal to end up on the other side of them and quickly making a run for it. The school was mostly empty except for the students who have stayed behind for cleaning duty, so there was nobody around to yell at him for running, but unfortunately it meant that some of the fastest runners on the track team were on his tail.

"Just great!" he huffed as he heard their feet catching up behind him. But then he caught sight of an open window. "SAVED!" and without even thinking, he dove out!

It only took an extra second for him to realize that this was not a good idea, as he could see faculty leaving the school yard and if they dared look up, he'd be in big trouble! So instead of hopping down, he grabbed the window sill at the last minute and wall ran to the next open window as fast as he could. He just made it to the other side of the school when he heard the other students screaming behind him. With a quick swing, he hopped inside the next window, ONLY TO CRASH RIGHT INTO RIKU!

The silver-haired teen was on his way to the broom closet only to turn just in time to see Sora careening at him from the window. He had barely a fraction of a second to catch him before they both crashed into the floor, but thankfully he caught him just enough to stumble back a few steps. "SORA! What are you doing!?"

"Hide me!" Sora cried as he heard footsteps approaching.

Without another word, Riku stuffed Sora into the broom closet he was just about to open and stood in front of it. From the safety of the closet, Sora heard the thunderous footsteps approach and stop. He tried to breathe as quietly as he could while also trying not to laugh as he heard them talk to Riku.

Riku narrowed his eyes at the four teens who ran towards him, standing in front of the broom cupboard casually as they came to a stop. Two of them he recognized from the class next to his. The other two looked like they were in the same grade as Sora.

The older one spoke first. "Riku! Have you seen Sora around here?"

"What's your business with Sora?" he asked cautiously.

"We just saw him jump out of a window!" the younger one said. "And he came in through here!"

"That's impossible. Are you guys okay? Do you need to go to the nurse?" Riku asked while trying to keep the smirk off his face.

"Cut it out, Riku!" the other older one yelled. "We know you saw him!"

"And what if I did?" Riku glared at them.

"We need him to join the track team!" one of the other younger ones shouted.

"I believe he already said no, didn't he? You can't make him join if he doesn't want to," Riku stated matter-of-factly. "Is that how your track team operates? By scaring talented kids into joining? No wonder you aren't doing well."

Though Riku sounded calm, Sora's heart was telling him differently. He could feel Riku getting angry. _This isn't his fight..._ With a sigh, he summoned his keyblade from within the closet and muttered "stop", freezing the students in place so he could safely exit the closet.

Riku could feel the time stop magic happening and stepped out of the way of the closet door so Sora could get out. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, Riku," Sora chuckled sheepishly as he emerged with the extra dust pan he originally came for.

"If these guys are bothering you, you should take care of it soon," Riku pointed out as he grabbed the cleaning supplies he needed.

"Don't worry, I will," Sora smiled as he gently nudged elbows with Riku. "See you after this?"

"Yup. Your place?"

"Yup! Mom's making fried chicken!"

"Then I'm there," Riku grinned. "Meet you at the gate later."

"Okay," Sora smiled happily before hurrying off back to his classroom.

Riku watched him go and rolled his eyes at the frozen teens before closing the closet door and heading back to his classroom too just before the spell wore off, leaving the four confused as they came to and realized neither Riku or Sora were anywhere to be found.


	15. Surges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another half day from Riku's point of view.

It's so hard to sleep.

After Sora leaves for the evening or he leaves Sora's, there isn't much for Riku to do in the empty house except think about how empty it is...how empty everything feels without Sora or his friends around. It didn't used to bother him but without distractions, he's left to his own thoughts, thoughts he wish he didn't have to have.

The land left to him has truly been a gift. It's given him something else to think about. When he sees that treehouse, he doesn't just see a fond childhood memory, he sees potential. When he told Mickey about it, the King was very supportive and talked to all their friends who were more than happy to send supplies to aide his endeavor. Now he's got a stockpile of things to build with, but he doesn't know where to start. Whenever the silence creeps in, he'll bring out a sketchbook and just start jotting down ideas. Eventually he came to the realization that he's not just designing a treehouse...he's designing a home.

"Home..."

He smiled at the idea. It almost seemed silly...making a home in a tree. But the more he thought about it, the more he liked it. A home up in the air, so high up a kid could think they might be able to touch the stars.

He started thinking about practical things, like running water and electricity, and soon found he had the tools for that. With the gummi blocks Cid sent him, there were so many possibilities. Not to mention there was a stream of fresh water that fell from the cliff. While reading the DIY manual Roxas gave him, he thought of more ideas. Seemingly complicated tasks could be broken down into simpler ones. Before he knew it, he was going to the treehouse at night just practicing on the part his grandfather built. He sanded and stained floorboards. He installed a glass window. He sealed said window. He patched the roof, installed new tiles, and even insulated the inside. He added sheet rock, he hung up a curtain, he even added a lock to the door.

It was then he realized if he was going to wire this treehouse, he probably shouldn't have installed the sheet rock yet. But oh well, this was practice. He only worked on it two or three hours a night but he was amazed at what he could get done with just a little extra research and pre-planning. He'd work until he finally felt tired enough to go home, shower, and sleep, muscles pleasantly aching as he felt satisfied for what he had accomplished. As he lay, he'd think about how it's a lot of work for one person and wondered if Sora would be into it. The thought of them working together made him smile. He could already imagine Sora sneaking off to find a place to nap and that made his smile grow wider.

"Might even join him for one or two of those naps."

But as the sleep creeped in, he felt lonely again. As his eyes drifted closed, he'd give the window a half-glance and feel guilty for hoping Sora would disobey him and show up anyway. Then there's the brief hesitation of whether or not he actually wanted to fall asleep at all. Every night felt like a gamble. He'd either see Sora and help him confront his nightmares or have to face his own. He knew which one he'd prefer. Tonight, it appeared to be the former as his heart heard Sora calling his name, but there was something unusual about it. However, he didn't think twice about it as he made the dive. After he landed, however, he immediately wished he had.

In his eagerness to answer Sora's call, he hadn't realized that maybe Sora wasn't calling out for him for help, but rather for a whole other reason entirely. He found himself in a darkly lit throne room with large fireplaces lit on either side. A lush and frankly too gigantic bear skin rug decorated the floor and at the end of the room in a large black throne with red cushions were Sora...and himself. Or rather a dream version of himself, completely nude, with Sora straddling his lap, and they're clearly going at it pretty heavily.

Immediately Riku hid behind a pillar and turned away, face buried in his hands as he tried to calm his frantic breathing. He's seen Sora dream of him a few times but they were pretty innocent. This was definitely a first. As he heard Sora moan his name, he realized that Sora wasn't necessarily calling for him...he was just having a good time. _Should I go? Should I let him know I'm here?_ His eyes were flashing multiple colors as he stood there at war with himself. First of all, he was envious of himself, second, he was embarrassed, third he was concerned, fourth...part of him really wanted to see if it was possible to join in, and then he cursed himself for thinking of such a thing.

_No no no no no no! That is so unbecoming of a keyblade master and would be an abuse of power. Most definitely!_

"Riku!! UNNHHH!! RIKU!!"

_Buuuuuut then again...what would even happen? Is that even possible? Or would my interference just mess up everything and I ruin Sora's good time? URGH!! Why am I even thinking about this!? I should just leave!_

After deciding that tomorrow they definitely need to have a talk about this sort of thing so that this doesn't happen again, he finally removed his hands from his face and looked down to notice what he was wearing. He was dressed in a fitted black tee with a hot pink dream eater symbol emblazoned on the back, loose-fitted light blue jeans with a wide black belt with silver buckle, and white tennis shoes with yellow laces. On his wrist he had the bracelet Sora made for him. It was a comfortable outfit to be sure and he liked the simplicity of it. It felt nice but casual too. Another loud moan from Sora shook him from his thoughts, however so he summoned his keyblade to hurry up and get out of there before his face could get any redder.

But just as he pointed it towards the sky, he heard a commotion behind him and heard Sora scream!

"STAY BACK! STAY AWAY!"

He turned around to see the throne room no longer resembled a throne room. The walls were crumbling down, the floor was a giant inky black puddle and Sora was back in his combat gear, scuttling on the floor in an effort to get away from a formless black shadow with leering yellow eyes that approached him with a long red tongue.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Sora shouted again as he struggled to get to his feet. The shadow then transformed into a heartless that Riku recognized from Jiminy's Journal, a Dark Inferno! It definitely didn't look like any nightmare Riku had ever seen before.

"SORA!" Riku shouted and hurried to Sora's aid, lunging for the Dark Inferno and slashing away at it while Sora hurried to his feet.

It didn't take too long to defeat the nightmare and when it disappeared, the crumbling remains of the throne room disappeared with it, leaving the two keyblade wielders alone on a sandy beach. Now no longer in his combat gear, Sora was dressed in baggy red shorts and a white t-shirt. He mumbled a thank you and rubbed the back of his head, not looking directly at Riku but instead staring at his bare feet halfway buried in the sand.

"What's wrong, Sora?"

"Just--I thought you were--but you're dressed! So...how long have you been here?" the brunette stammered as his face turned redder and redder.

Riku could only chuckle and turn his head away as his face turned red as well, "Not very long. But..."

"Long enough, right?" Sora finished for him, now covering his face with his hands as he groaned with embarrassment. "I thought it was actually you, I swear!"

"Wait, Sora!" the silver-haired teen turned back towards him. "I'm not upset or anything...I just...I mean yeah I was surprised. Had I had known, I wouldn't have interrupted or anything. It's just I heard you calling my name and I thought--"

"Wait, you heard me calling you?" Sora looked up, face flushed scarlet. "H-how much do you hear, anyway?"

"Lately? Quite a bit. Ever since we defeated Bob, everything's been kind of...loud?"

"Oh nooooooo!! I'm so sorry! Like how loud are we talking? What's it like?"

"Whoa whoa!" Riku laughed and put his arms around Sora to pull him in for a hug, gently rubbing his back to soothe the panicking teen while also trying to fight off his own blush that's now really burning his cheeks. "It's like..." he struggled to find an example but the one that stood out in his mind that even came remotely close just made him blush even harder and he was almost certain now his eyes were definitely pink. "Remember in San Fransokyo, when we were in the shower and you and I...?"

"OH NO!" Sora pulled away to look at him. "It's THAT loud? What do I do??? Does it bother you? Should I do something?"

"I don't think you can or should do anything!" Riku quickly said. "I feel like it's just a side effect of whatever Bob did to mess with the connections of your heart. I'm sure it'll even out in time...maybe. In the meantime...is there something you DON'T want me to know?"

"N-no. I mean...there's nothing I ever want to hide from you. I mean, I'm okay with it if you are. I just don't want to be a nuisance."

"You're not, Sora. I promise."

"I just...wait..." Sora pulled back to look at his clothes. "I like this outfit on you."

"Oh, thanks," Riku couldn't help laughing. "Anyway, are you okay? What was that nightmare all about?"

"You got me," Sora pondered. "But I have this feeling I've seen it recently."

"In a nightmare? Because I don't think I've ever seen that one."

"I dunno, then," Sora sighed. "Riku?"

"Hm?"

"What do you dream about?"

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"I think I've told you once already."

"You told me you don't remember much."

"Hm, well then I guess I'll tell you what I do remember," Riku smiled softly as he took Sora's hands into his, intertwining their fingers as he pulled him in close, their hands clasped between their chests as he bends his head down to plant a kiss on the tip of Sora's nose. "I dream of a beautiful boy with eyes like starlight. Every time I see him, I hold him close and I whisper how he means the world to me. How much I love him. How I'd do anything for him. And every time, I'm rewarded with his smile. It's the most precious thing in the world to me."

Sora felt himself melting under Riku's soft gaze, his heart fluttering as he drank in his sweet words. "I love you so much," he whispered as he swallowed back the tears of happiness that threatened to well up in his throat.

"I love you too," Riku whispered back before he leaned further down to kiss each of Sora's cheeks and then finally capturing the other's soft lips with his own. "You mean everything to me. You're the love of my dreams and my life."

He did wonder sometimes what it would look like to others if they were to dive into his dreams. Would they see a scene similar to what he had unintentionally witnessed in Sora's? Or would they see the nightmares that occasionally cause him to summon his keyblade in his sleep if Sora's not there for him to hold onto? He's conquered and accepted his darkness, but the feelings of pain and loneliness still creep into his sleep on occasion and manifest into short bouts of terror that wake him up with cold sweats and trembling hands. He doesn't know if they'll ever stop, but thankfully they've been far and few in between. However recent events feel like they've been re-opening old wounds.

He felt Sora's hands cup his cheeks and sighed contently, easing the heavy feeling he suddenly felt around his heart. He closed his eyes as he melted into their warmth, pressing his forehead to Sora's as he moved his hands to wrap around his waist and hold him closer. He heard the other's voice rumble in his throat as he hummed happily and smiled in response, the two of them gently swaying to the sounds of the ocean. Both of them have comfortably run out of words to say but their beating hearts spoke volumes.

Suddenly, the air felt cold around them and Riku immediately noticed the sun had gone away. Both of them looked up to see the sunny sky now choking with black clouds with a pair of gleaming yellow eyes high above them. He felt Sora grab his hands and then he couldn't feel anything anymore.

He was back in his bed with an overwhelming sense of dread unlike anything he had felt from any of Sora's other nightmares. But before he could try to make sense of it, he grabbed his phone off of the night stand and quickly texted Sora, wincing slightly as the bright phone screen temporarily blinded him.

Riku: Are you awake?  
Sora: Yeah  
Riku: You okay?  
Sora: Yeah. Sorry about all of that. I'll see u tomorrow  
Riku: Good night  
Sora: Good night (>^*^)> <3

The teen blinked at the silly emoji before snickering as he figured it out.

Riku: You're so cute.  
Sora: Ur so pretty. ^_~  
Riku: Go to sleep. >:\  
Sora: You know you like it.  
Sora: Riku -> (> ^///^ <)  
Riku: That's it, I'm taking your phone away.  
Sora: NOOOO  
Sora: Good night! ilu  
Riku: ilu2. Night!

After Riku set the phone back on the nightstand, he tried to roll over into a more comfortable position, but it was even harder to fall asleep now. Maybe this was a one-off thing, but something about those glowing yellow eyes really bothered him. It continued to bother him until sleep finally claimed him and he found himself in a field of sweet-smelling grass surrounded by fireflies. He could hear the soft chirping of crickets and the ribbiting of toads from a pond that must be nearby. Above there wasn't a cloud in the sky as he could make out every single sparkling star and a giant yellow moon lit the area with just the right gentle glow. He sighed deeply as he ran his hands over the soft waist-high grass, tempted to just lie down right there. But just as the thought crossed his mind, he noticed a group of fireflies gathering and above he saw stars shifting about. Before his very eyes, a handful of tiny stars descended from the sky to join the fireflies and together they joined to take on a form that instantly brought a smile to Riku's face. He hurried towards it, parting the grass with his hands as he went. By the time Starlight Sora completely took shape, he was there to scoop him up in his arms in a tight hug.

The star sprite version of his best friend leaped with joy into the embrace, wrapping his arms around Riku's neck and sending both of them falling back into the soft grass. Riku held onto him tightly as they fell, the other nuzzling his cheek happily as they laid together. "I missed you," Riku whispered.

The semi-transparent dream version of Sora pulled away slightly to look at Riku, tilting his head with his mouth in a soft, questioning expression.

"For some reason I didn't think I'd ever see you again," Riku admitted as he reached to cup the other's cheek. "I hadn't seen you since..."

The sprite smiled gently and closed his eyes as he put his hand over Riku's and nuzzled into his palm. He then kissed the tips of Riku's fingers before opening his eyes again and tapping on the teen's chest over his heart before giving him a cheeky grin, as if Riku should've known better.

"Heh, you're right," Riku let out a small groan and gave an amused smile as he realized what the other meant. "How silly of me."

The teen on top of him smiled so widely that his eyes crinkled closed and Riku could feel his heart bursting from how cute he looked. It was so adorable he couldn't help laughing happily and it seemed the other was shaking with laughter too. When their shared giggles died down, the other leaned back down to rest his head on the teen's broad chest and Riku resumed holding him tightly, almost possessively as the fireflies lazily flew around them. "I miss this, too. In here and the real world."

The cuddled teen traced a question mark into the exposed skin of Riku's bicep with his index finger so that he wouldn't have to move.

"We haven't been able to spend as much time together as we used to," Riku explained quietly, as if saying it too loudly made the truth hurt more. "I hate it."

The teen on top of him suddenly pushed himself up, straddling Riku's waist and giving him a questioning look as he stuck his fists on his hips, one eyebrow raised really high.

Riku was slightly taken aback by that look and found himself stammering in order to give a good answer to the silent question, "Well, there are rules and we don't want to be caught breaking them."

The starlit sprite rolled his eyes dramatically and crossed his arms with a huff, his mouth twisted to one side as he narrowed his eyes down at the keyblade master.

"It's the truth!" Riku protested. "We don't want to get in trouble."

Starlight Sora didn't seem to be buying it, now tapping his fingers on his arm impatiently as if waiting for the real answer.

"The other students have to follow the same rules. It's not just us. But I am working on a place where the two of us can hang out. I really am. I just need more time."

The other sighed and stuck out his bottom lip as he uncrossed his arms and fingered the lapels on Riku's jacket. He looked concerned.

"It'll be alright. We'll be okay. We're not hiding because we're scared...I don't think. I couldn't care less about what everybody else thinks. But we really don't want to jeopardize anything at school. I know we'll build some great memories together. But we just need to adjust for the time being. But...it's been hard."

Sora looked at him sympathetically and leaned back down to cuddle Riku again, pressing soft lips to his neck in a soft kiss that made Riku sigh contently.

"We'll be okay, I know we will," he whispered. "But there's so much going on." He turned his head to nuzzle the soft hair on the back of Sora's neck. "Stay with me?" he asked.

The sweet sprite nodded into his shoulder and buried his face into Riku's neck, his eyelashes fluttering against his neck as he relaxed further into him, as if getting ready to fall asleep.

"Thank you," Riku whispered as he closed his own eyes.

He doesn't even know how long he was actually asleep, but when he woke up the next morning, it sure didn't feel like enough. The air felt muggy in his bedroom as he rolled out of bed and his hair was already sticking to his face so he hurried to take another cool shower. As he brushed his teeth, he noticed his bangs were getting long again and made a mental note to trim them later. His hair was getting a little long in the back as well. _Maybe I should get another demon tide to cut it for me._ He chuckled darkly to himself as he finished brushing his teeth and ran a comb through his silver locks after he fluffed it dry with a towel.

After he quickly got dressed in his school uniform and gathered his school books, he grabbed some toast and searched the fridge to make something for lunch. But just as he was about to grab a head of lettuce to make sandwiches with, he heard the doorbell ring. He whipped his head around to look at the clock on the wall. It was way too early for Sora to be here, or so he thought, so he closed the fridge and hurried to slide the front door open only to in fact, be greeted by the grinning brunette in question. "Morning, Riku!"

"Uh, good morning!" Riku chuckled and checked outside. The sun hadn't even completely risen yet. "You're early."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to see you. And I wanted to catch you before you packed your lunch," he explained as he held up a bento wrapped in a blue handkerchief. "I made this for you!"

Riku stepped aside so Sora could come in and escape the heat. "You made me lunch?"

"Yup!" Sora giggled, his cheeks tinged with a slight blush as he shoved the bento into Riku's hands. "I wanted to thank you...and maybe apologize for last night."

"Apologize?" Riku blinked as he accepted the boxed lunch. "For what?"

Sora groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Please don't make me say it!"

"Sora...You don't have anything to be ashamed of."

"But it was so embarrassing!"

The elder teen laughed and set the bento on top of his school bag before pulling the bashful teen into a hug. "Don't worry about it. I was honestly flattered. Maybe a little envious too."

"I didn't mean to! I thought that was actually you!" the brunette continued to protest as he buried his face in Riku's chest.

"I know. You told me last night, remember? Before you woke up."

"Oh, that's right, I did," Sora sounded relieved as he remembered what they talked about and pulled away. "Either way, I ended up waking up pretty early, so I made us both lunch."

"Well thank you very much," Riku smiled.

The younger teen smiled back but his smile fell as he saw the tired look in Riku's eyes. "Did you not sleep very well either?"

"I'll be okay. It's not your fault, I promise," the elder teen assured him as he held him closer. "I just miss you, is all."

"I miss you too, Riku," Sora said softly as he found himself staring at Riku's lips.

Riku noticed that look of longing right away and knew he had the same look on his own face as he found himself leaning his head down, inching his face closer and closer to Sora's.

Sora tilted his own face up as his hands snaked themselves around Riku's waist gripping the back of his soft white linen shirt as their lips hovered an inch apart from each other, hesitating as their quickening breaths washed over each other.

"I don't know if I'll be able to stop," Riku whispered as he brushed his nose against Sora's.

"We got time," Sora whispered back in a needy voice as he trembled in Riku's grasp.

Riku shuddered as he felt Sora press his body closer to him just before a vision flashed behind his closed eyelids, a vision that made him swallow hard just as their lips connected. He sensed Sora's desire, a vision of lust as the brunette visualized himself wrapping his limbs around Riku as the elder teen pressed him against the wall in a searing kiss. The vision was brief, but it was enough to make Riku feel slightly taken aback. He found himself backing up against the wall of the entryway but Sora kept himself pressed close, matching his steps as he leaned further into the kiss, not realizing that Riku had seen anything. The elder teen moaned softly into the kiss, the brief vision now engrained in his mind as their quickly warming bodies continued to press together. Sora returned the moan in kind, breathily, his voice needy as he fisted the back of Riku's shirt. The keyblade master could feel his self-control wavering as their tongues made contact, the kiss becoming more forceful as each did their best to devour the other. Things were escalating so fast. The heat mounting between their bodies becoming intense as the rising sun shined on them from the window but neither of them dared to move. In an effort to ground himself, Riku reached his hand up to run his fingers through Sora's hair, his fingers grazing the back of the brunette's neck, causing the other to pull away as he gasped loudly.

"A-a-aah!" Sora cried out as he threw his head back into Riku's hand, his body shivering all over as his mouth was held agape.

That's when Riku realized where his fingers just touched and quickly released his hold on him. "S-Sorry!" he apologized as he released Sora. "I didn't mean--"

"Rikuuuuuuu," the teen whined.

"Maybe we should stop," Riku suggested. He felt bad but he was also relieved.

"I know you're right," Sora said quietly as he too released Riku and took a half step back to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "But I really didn't want to stop."

"I know," Riku smiled as he leaned to place a chaste kiss on Sora's forehead. "But you're already getting sweaty."

"You are too," Sora snickered. "The walk is really going to suck today."

"Definitely bringing a bottled water. You want one?"

"Sure!" Sora accepted happily.

After the two composed themselves, they made the walk to school as usual. By the time they picked up Kairi and made it to the front gate, all three of them had their handkerchiefs out and were blotting sweat off of their foreheads, all too eager to get inside the air-conditioned building.

During class, Riku found it hard to not be distracted. Maybe it was because he was still tired from last night, but Sora's own stream of consciousness kept slipping into his own. Mercifully he was still in his study period, so it wasn't like he was missing much. His homework was already done and he was passing the time by sketching some ideas for the treehouse. It wasn't like Sora was giving him anything too direct, but he felt his heart fluttering quite a bit until he couldn't take it any more and dared to glance at the window where he could directly see Sora's classroom across the courtyard. He was surprised to see Sora stand up from his desk as he appeared to have been called on. He then held up a small book and seemed to be reading from it. Even from here, Riku could see Sora struggling to recite whatever prose he had been roped into reading and couldn't help smiling as he imagined being in the room with him. But then it suddenly felt like he was there and he turned his gaze down at his paper so he couldn't look too conspicuous as Sora's point of view poured into his vision.

"Some call the story of Romeo and Juliet one of the greatest romances of all time. Do you agree with that, Sora?" the teacher asked.

Sora shook his head, though he was clearly unsure as he stared down at the book in his hands. "No. It's...a tragedy, isn't it?"

"Yes!" the teacher answered back, clearly surprised at Sora's answer. "Can you elaborate? What's your reasoning?"

Even from Sora's point of view, Riku could feel all eyes on him and he could feel how nervous Sora was as he clenched the book tighter in his hands. To his right, he could see Kairi starting intently out of Sora's peripheral vision. He had to admit, he was very curious about what Sora would say as well. "Well they both died...and um..."

The teacher seemed to sense Sora's hesitation so she kindly asked another question, "Do you believe Romeo and Juliet were in love?"

"Yes...but not with each other," Sora answered cautiously. Riku could tell Sora felt somewhat confident in his interpretation, but less confident in whether or not that was the answer the teacher wanted to hear. It's clear the rest of the class is confused, but the teacher is impressed, so Sora continued. "I think...they're in love with the idea of love but not with each other."

That's when it hit Riku how much Sora has actually thought about love and what it means. The brunette has admitted it several times before but every time the subject is brought up again he finds himself blown away by Sora's observations. The teacher asks him to keep going and Riku keeps listening in awe now with his whole heart as he stares unseeing down at his paper. Sora seems to think that maybe he isn't right after all and wonders if the teacher is pressing him because he has it wrong and it sounds ridiculous but he keeps going. He says really shyly, "Well...whenever Romeo talks about Juliet, it's always about her body...and he says nice things but he doesn't know anything about her. And Juliet doesn't know any better and she's just swept away. I don't think that's love."

The teacher and the class is silent for a moment and he could feel the embarrassment growing within Sora but then suddenly the teacher happily clasps her hands together. "I think you're absolutely right, Sora."

Sora's head snaps up from the book to look at the teacher and Riku could feel heat in the teen's cheeks. "Wait, really?"

Riku could feel his own cheeks reddening in class because he's so proud of him, smiling a little too widely as he finally went back to sketching. The scene continued to unfold but he only paid it half a mind as he drew another wing for the treehouse. Sora's teacher sounded far away as she asked more questions. It seems the rest of the class must not look convinced, so Sora is pressed to give out more observations and it sounds pretty astute, especially about how Romeo talks about Juliet's features rather than Juliet as a person, mostly pointing out that she's young and pretty and that's really about it. Riku found himself nodding along, agreeing with everything Sora says, but then suddenly something he said hit too close to home.

"He keeps comparing Juliet to things like the sun and stars. Very astrological stuff, as if she's some heavenly being."

Riku's pencil paused on his paper and he listened closer as he felt his heart almost stop.

"He makes her sound like she's something out of this world, something beyond reach. To claim to love somebody that you already perceive as beyond reach is a tragedy in itself."

If Sora said anything else, Riku couldn't hear it. He cautiously glanced out the window to see Sora had sat down and they were turning pages in their books again. His heart continued to pound as he put a hand over his own face, suddenly feeling almost nauseous. A memory of Sora sleeping in his pod flashed before his eyes. A vision of a boy made of starlight born in his dreams from sheer loneliness...

He doesn't even remember asking to be excused, his thoughts reeling as he tried to keep himself composed as he made his way to the rest room. His breathing was fast and uneven as he made long strides to reach the sink where he filled his hands with water to splash on his face. His hands trembled as the cold liquid trickled through his fingers, his head bent low over the basin as he tried to calm himself.

There was a time where Sora seemed out of reach but he didn't care...all he thought about was getting Sora to wake up, even if it cost him his own life. But what if Sora never woke up? What would he have done? And after all of that, Sora was asleep once again and not only that, he revealed he very nearly almost didn't come back at all. The thoughts of Sora in the hospital bed, the memory of him admitting to the group that he wasn't meant to return with Kairi at all, it all came flooding back and it hit him hard. He grit his teeth as he tried not to be sick, gripping the edges of the sink in a white knuckle grip as he tried to focus on the sounds of the running water instead of his spiraling thoughts. He didn't want to think about how the Master of Masters managed to steal Sora's heart and how he had to fight alongside Sora in his anti-form, how he nearly gave in to his hopelessness.

_It's done. Everything is fine now. Sora's still here. We're together. That's all that matters. We don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm not afraid..._

He mentally repeated this mantra to himself until his breathing calmed and finally turned off the water before grabbing his handkerchief and drying off his face. Just then, he heard a toilet flush and hurried to straighten up and leave but a familiar voice stopped him.

"So we meet again."

Riku didn't turn around, but he recognized the voice as one of the boys in his grade from the track team, the one leading the Sora chase the other day. "I was just leaving."

"Not so fast. I got some advice I want you to give your little friend," the other stated calmly as he washed his hands.

"Oh?" Riku humored him.

"There's no way he can stand up to all of us. He either joins or somebody's going to get hurt."

"You think so, huh? Tell me, don't you think there's a problem with a team that runs on intimidation tactics rather than teamwork?"

"What of it?"

"Just makes me wonder. Doesn't it bother you that the coach has told you to put all your efforts into recruiting Sora as if he thinks Sora can save the team? If it really relies so heavily on him, maybe there's something wrong that has nothing to do with whether or not he joins you."

"CAN IT, SMARTASS! Just tell him to join or we'll pummel the both of you!" the teen threatened at Riku's back.

The keyblade master couldn't help smirking to himself. "I'm not worried," he stated calmly. "And while we're at it, I have some advice for you, too." He looked over his shoulder, "Don't mistake Sora's kindness for weakness." With that, he gave a half-hearted wave before stuffing his hands into his pockets and exiting the restroom still smirking as he could practically hear the steam billowing out of the bully's ears when he left.

By some miracle, it cooled off outside by the time lunch period arrived, so Riku wasted no time in waiting by their usual tree while he waited for Sora and Kairi. The sky overhead was getting cloudy, signaling that rain was on the way so having lunch outside might've been a gamble but he wasn't too concerned about it. Rather, he was much more interested in what Sora packed him for lunch. He tried waiting for them before opening it, but the minutes ticked by and his stomach growled angrily so he began unwrapping it impatiently. "Wonder what's taking them so long," he muttered to himself as he undid the knot. When he pulled the lid off the container he was immediately blown away by what the bento had in store. There was a serving of fried rice dressed with red, yellow, and green peppers all cut into the shapes of Opera heartless of said respective colors, a small handful of cherry tomatoes with little circles cut out of them and bent upwards so that they resembled lucky emblems, a trio of heart-shaped shortbread cookies, and a sushi roll cut into six pieces made with cucumber, avocado, asparagus, and carrot that looked like he tried to make a stained glass window shape of a paopu fruit but ended up being a little crooked after it was cut. Sora also packed a melon soda with the box and Riku thought his heart was going to burst from the thoughtfulness and effort that clearly went into making this lunch. "How early did he wake up anyway!?" he asked himself as he took in the intricately decorated lunch. His heart melted even more when he realized it was almost entirely vegetarian. "Aw, he tried to make it healthy, too."

Before he could even take a bite, he noticed Kairi coming out of the front doors and waved her over, surprised to see that Sora wasn't with her. "Is it just you?" he asked.

"Wait, Sora's not out here yet?" the redhead asked with growing concern on her face. "One of the teachers pulled him out of class just before lunch started. I waited for him to come back but when he didn't show up I figured he went straight here."

"I hadn't seen him...do you think he's alright?"

"I'm sure he is," Kairi tried to assure him, but she didn't look too sure herself. "Had he said anything to you?"

Riku shook his head. "Just that the gym teacher was still giving him a hard time. He wasn't the one who called for Sora was he?"

"No, it looked like it was one of the teachers from your grade," Kairi sighed as she sat down in the shade next to Riku. "I'm sure he'll show up any minute now. Oooh! Cute lunch! Did you make that?"

Riku shook his head. "Sora did. He brought it to me this morning," he explained as he finally allowed himself to take a bite of his sushi roll. "Wanna try one?" he offered.

"Sure he won't get mad about you sharing your special lunch with me?" she joked as she reached her chopsticks in to grab one of the roll portions. "Mmmmm!" she made a pleased noise as she devoured the bite of veggie roll. "It's delicious. I'll have to ask him to make me one."

Riku laughed, "He might just do it if you bribe him."

Kairi laughed too. "Just look at you two. You're already like a married couple."

The elder teen felt the blush rising to his cheeks, "W-what do you mean by that?"

"Come on, him making lunch for you? That's totally something a wife or girlfriend would do."

"Oh, THAT is what tipped you off?" Riku huffed sarcastically. "And not all the other stuff?"

Kairi giggled into her hand as she poked at her own lunch with her chopsticks. "Don't be embarrassed! It's cute!"

"I'm not embarrassed!" the teen insisted.

"Embarrassed about what?" Sora asked, now standing in front of the two without either of them even noticing.

"Sora!" Riku gasped in surprise.

"There you are!" Kairi exclaimed as Sora took a seat on Riku's other side. "We were wondering where you were!"

"Everything alright?" Riku asked. "We didn't want to get started without you but--"

"It's fine," Sora interrupted as he gloomily unwrapped his own lunch that matched Riku's.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked. "What's that face for?"

Sora stuffed a few bites of food into his mouth before he answered. "The coach complained about me to the school counselor," he grumbled around a mouthful of rice.

"Whaaaaat??" Riku asked in surprise.

"Why?" Kairi asked. "I thought you were doing fine in class!"

Sora continued to angrily stuff food in his face. "Two people from the track team are injured and he says it's my fault."

Kairi's eyes widened, "Wait, Sora, you didn't--"

"Of course, I didn't!" Sora groaned in frustration as he tilted his box and shoveled the rest of its contents into his mouth with his chopsticks. "One guy twisted his ankle while chasing me and the other busted his fingers punching the wall when I ducked!"

The other two found themselves just as angry and the three finished their lunches in seething silence. None of them spoke another word until their boxes were packed up and the three cooled off with their packed beverages before speaking again. "So what happened next?" Riku dared to ask.

"I got out of it. I pointed out that nobody would've gotten hurt if they didn't chase me in the first place and I argued that I clearly didn't throw any punches because my own hands aren't bruised in any way. The counselor seemed to go along with it, but still said I'd be under watch and now the gym teacher seems even more angry with me," Sora huffed as sipped from his own soda bottle. "I have a feeling gym's going to be even tougher."

"When will that guy even give up!?" Kairi asked.

"When I join the team, I guess," Sora rolled his eyes. "And even if I did, I don't think he's suddenly going to be all buddy-buddy. I think that will just give him grounds to be even harder on me."

"That's true. There's no guarantee he'll stop picking on you even if you joined the team," Riku agreed.

"Sounds like you got your work cut out for you, Sora," Kairi sighed sympathetically. "I wish there was some way we could help."

"It'll be fine," Sora smiled. "I mean he's a teacher. What could he possibly do?"

"That's a good point," Riku tried to smile too, but he could see Kairi biting her lower lip. "Don't worry. Sora can handle himself."

"I know...just be careful," Kairi warned.

"Come on, Kairi! It's me, remember?" the brunette grinned cheekily as he finished off his drink.

"Oh yeah! What could I possibly be worried about?" Kairi asked sarcastically, earning a laugh from all three of them.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kairi!" Sora sneered.

"You'll be fine!" Riku laughed. "Just no more jumping out of windows!"

"HE DID WHAT!?"

"WAY TO SPILL THE BEANS, RIKU!"

"Oh would you look at that! Lunch is over!" Riku hurried to stand up just as the lunch bell rang. "Thanks for lunch, Sora!" he waved before hurrying inside just as fat rain drops began falling from the sky.

"RIKUUUUUUUU!" Sora and Kairi called as they hurried after him, laughing the entire way as the teen fled from them.


	16. Where art thou, Romeo?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whether intentional or not, Riku can't take much more of Sora's teasing. Little does he realize what Sora's truly capable of.

It was just another quiet afternoon at Riku's house as he and Sora did their homework together. Kairi stayed back at school for the writing club so it was just the two of them. The two had fallen into a comfortable routine for the most part but lately it was all too clear that something was on Sora's mind besides homework. In fact, Riku had a front row seat as Sora's stray thoughts kept slipping through their connection for some time now.

Even now, Sora's thoughts were clearly not on his math homework, his eyes flicking from the formulas on the paper in front of him to the books he had stacked to the side, of which "Romeo and Juliet" was stacked on top. When Riku heard a long pause in Sora's pencil scratching, he looked up from his own book to see a faraway look in the brunette's eyes as he rested his chin in his hand. His left hand was under the table, comfortably clasped inside Riku's, something they did so often now that half the time they don't even realize they're doing it even when they're sitting pressed shoulder to shoulder like they are now.

Smirking to himself, hidden behind his book, Riku idly strokes the inside of Sora's wrist, his thumb softly grazing the star-shaped scar there. The soft touch causes Sora to inhale with a shuddery gasp, an audible noise not lost on the elder teen who leans in to mutter softly into Sora's ear, "Is it still sensitive?"

"Y-yes," Sora whispered back, his eyes now desperately glued back down to his math problems.

"Soraaaa..." the silverette teased by leaning in closer so that his lips were just barely grazing the sensitive shell of Sora's ear as he said his name.

"Yes?" Sora's voice quivered, his hand shaking as he gripped his pencil tighter. Riku's voice was sending shivers down his spine and he could already feel his face heating up almost unbearably so as the other's thumb persisted in teasing the spot on his wrist.

"Nobody's here~" Riku reminded him with a whisper as he grazed his teeth along Sora's earlobe and began nibbling at his jawline.

"R-right...?" the brunette practically squeaked as his eyes darted everywhere but at Riku, completely frozen in place.

"So, you know what I think we should do?"

"Nnn...Riku, what's gotten into you?"

 _You have, you dummy._ For weeks he's felt Sora's pining through their connection and many a sneak preview into his imagination as he suffered through said pining. The longing and desire was mutual to be sure, but the things leaking through their connection were on a whole other level, not unlike the fantasy he saw from Sora when they kissed in his entryway. The fantasies were innocent at first, soft and fleeting. But they've escalated into a desperate need with very sultry circumstances. Most of the time it's sweet, like a date or a sneaky rendezvous in the bushes behind school. But then other times it's almost an epic that ends with them grinding in an empty classroom or even performing acts on a secret beach. Even if they talked about how it was mostly involuntary before, he couldn't shake the feeling that Sora was being loose with his fantasies on purpose. Now the keyblade master was beyond pent up and beyond reasoning with and he could already tell the other was more than willing.

He inches closer and slips a finger over the scar on the back of Sora's neck, causing Sora to throw his head back and trap the finger there. "A-a-aahh!" the brunette cried out, his eyes swiveling over to look at Riku helplessly as he found himself unable to move. "R-Riku?"

"Come here, baby," Riku whispered, scooting back from the table and urging him to follow his other inviting hand.

As if entranced, Sora is guided into Riku's lap to straddle his thighs. They make out passionately, Sora's bulge already hard against Riku's. Riku lifts Sora's hips and holds them still, making the other whine as he tries to buck into Riku.

"Wait," Riku hisses, holding him steadfast while he raises his own hips to glide his own straining bulge against Sora's.

"R-Riku!" the younger teen practically sobbed, his body quivering as the elder held him still.

"Wait~" Riku told him yet again just as he performed another pass while drinking in the look of desperation on Sora's face as his hips struggled in his firm grasp.

"Riku, I-I can't!" Sora tried to warn him, his head thrown back and mouth held agape. It was too much! Riku was barely doing anything but even this amount of firm friction was tightening the hot coil in his stomach that threatened to snap at any moment. He felt completely helpless as he pawed at Riku in an attempt to steady himself.

"Shhh~" Riku hushes him softly, hissing into the brunette's ear as he grinds him once again with one slow, firm movement. He was practically daring the other to disobey, taking almost too much pleasure in listening to him struggle to keep himself under control and knowing he was failing.

"R-Riku!" Sora suddenly grips his shoulders tightly, trembling hard as he loses himself. His teeth were clenched as he tried not to cry out but he couldn't hold back the whine that escaped his throat.

Riku felt Sora's spine stiffen and pulled back slightly. When he looks down, he sees the front of Sora's pants quickly getting soaked with the evidence of his pleasure. He could make out his softening erection twitching against the strained, wet fabric and the longer he stared, the more he heard Sora whimper. "Look at the mess you've made," he murmured darkly.

"I-I'm sorry," the brunette whispered as he too looked down. When he glanced back up, his eyes widened as he discovered that Riku's eyes were a dark shade of pink.

"I told you to wait." He knew Sora was strung tight but didn't honestly expect him to fall apart so easily. However, he wasn't disappointed, not in the least. If anything he was even more turned on as Sora's post-orgasmic face searched his own for signs of forgiveness.

"Riku, I--"

Riku roughly kisses him, holding him tightly with one arm while he sweeps the table clear with his other arm before laying the smaller teen on top of it and rubbing his wet front with his palm.

"A-ah-aah! Riku!" Sora cried out as Riku's hand rubbed him between his legs while he laid helplessly on the table.

"So wet~" the teen growled as his hand persisted to rub him through his pants.

"Riku, please!" the brunette mewled and pleaded. The other's voice sounded so dark and so seductive it was borderline OBSCENE! He was completely at his mercy and Riku clearly knew it. He gripped at the other's shoulders again as Riku hovered above him, propped on one arm while the other hand continued to torment him down below.

"Your crocodile tears won't save you this time," Riku growled into Sora's ear before straightening up and lifting Sora's shirt with his free hand. He then lowers himself back down and picks a nipple to suck on while he continues to stimulate the hardening length clothed in the soggy mess that is Sora's pants. Once he's hard again, he undoes both of their pants and frees their lengths before positioning his hips on top of Sora's and begins grinding against him. Sora is now completely lost and loving it, reaching up to grip Riku's shirt to pull him in for another kiss so he can use Riku to smother his own loud cries while the taller teen grinds roughly against him.

Riku was more than happy to devour Sora's sweet mouth, tasting faintly of chocolate from the snacks he was munching before. As he swallowed Sora's needy moans he growled back into his as he felt the brunette's fingers wander into his scalp where they curled and tugged at his silver locks which only further served to drive him wild. With one last shuddering gasp, Riku wrapped his arms tightly around Sora and clutched him close as his hips gave their last few desperate thrusts while he spilled his release all over Sora's abdomen and swallowed Sora's cries as he did the same, now covered in the evidence of both their combined pleasure.

"R-Riku," Sora cried out as Riku pulled away, face flush and tears of overstimulation stinging at the corners of his eyes as he looks down to see the mess he's covered in. "I'm a wreck!"

"We'll wash your clothes," Riku grinned, offering Sora a hand up to pull him off the table. "And while that happens, I think a shower is in order."

After a shower, Sora's clothes could be heard drying in the machine down the hall while they cuddled under a blanket on Riku's bed. While they wait, Riku's reading his book and Sora's half-asleep listening to him read out loud, his fingers carding through Sora's slightly damp hair with soothing motions as he enjoyed the warm body curled in his lap. They were so comfortable they didn't even realize it had started raining until they heard the low rumble of thunder outside.

"Well that's not good," Riku commented as he observed the rain pouring harder and harder. "You should probably ask your mom if you can stay here tonight. If you walk back in that you're going to get soaked."

"Yeah, good idea," Sora sighed as he reached over and grabbed his phone that was charging next to Riku's on the night stand. After a few screen taps, he received a message giving him the okay and with instructions to not eat Riku out of house and home. Now that he had permission to stay, he couldn't keep himself from grinning widely as he set the phone back on the table and resumed his previous position against Riku. "She said it's cool," he told him as he nuzzled into him.

Riku smiled and wrapped his arm back around Sora. But before he resumed reading his book a thought occurred to him. "Are you still reading Romeo and Juliet?" he asked curiously, eyeing the books that were now neatly stacked back on the table and any trash left behind had been happily gobbled up by Rufus the trash can who's taken up occupancy beneath Riku's bed.

Seeing an opportunity to get Riku back that was too good to pass up, Sora turned his head up towards Riku and cheekily quoted, "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?"

Riku rolls his eyes at the cheesy line and playfully scoffs, unimpressed, "Everybody knows that line."

Sora wasn't about to be deterred however and sits up to straddle Riku's thighs, draping his arms over his shoulders as he looked deep into his eyes and continued to recite, "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun."

Riku found his cheeks reddening as Sora gazed at him with a half-lidded stare, his voice low and soft as he continued.

"Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,  
Who is already sick and pale with grief,  
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she." 

He practically purred as he said these words, his face so close to Riku's that he could see his bangs fluttering from the wind of his breath as it cascaded over him. He couldn't help feeling smug as he drank in the look on his face. It was now the other's turn to be entranced and he was going to enjoy every moment of it. Through their connection, he let Riku see how beautiful he looked through his own eyes, his face aglow with blush and his bright teal eyes alight with the slightest hint of pink on the edges of his pupils.

"Be not her maid since she is envious.  
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,  
And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off!  
It is my lady. Oh, it is my love."

The brunette grinned as he watched Riku's face become more and more flushed, pressing closer as he moved a hand to graze the backs of his fingers against Riku's burning cheek. All the while he sent erotic fantasies through their link of him pressing their bodies close amongst tangled bed sheets. Hands clasped around each other as they moaned each other's names while moving against each other in an erratic rhythm, a dance born of passion and a desperate need to fulfill each other's desires.

"The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars  
As daylight doth a lamp. Her eye in heaven  
Would through the airy region stream so bright  
That birds would sing and think it were not night."

Riku swallowed hard as Sora rose up even higher, cupping both his cheeks as he stared down deep into his eyes, forcing the elder teen to lose himself in the seemingly infinite blue ocean contained in his dark but dazzling gaze. His breath caught in his throat as he felt his heartbeat quicken until it was fluttering rapidly in his chest. All the while Sora continued to smile dreamily down at him while he filled his mind with erotic imagery that made him gasp as he felt himself stir below the waist. It only took another moment before he realized what the brunette was trying to do and he couldn't help being impressed, so much so that he let down the last of his defenses and allowed himself to drown in the other's eyes as Sora fed him more intense feelings through their connection. "S-Sora..." he moaned breathily as his member throbbed between them, aching to be touched while it laid flat against his own abdomen. The brunette's hips were barely an inch away but made no move to come any closer, the heat radiating from his body as much a tease as the pretty words dripping from his enticing lips that also hovered out of reach from his own.

Sora made no move to grant Riku any mercy, his gaze unwavering as he shifted his legs to pin Riku's thighs down with his knees. Then with a featherlight touch, he trailed his fingers lazily from Riku's cheeks, down his neck, chest, and abdomen, feeling each muscle twitch beneath his digits with delight before settling his hands at his hips and pressing them down into the bed to keep them from moving, earning a small, helpless groan from the elder teen as he conceded to his fate. With a graze of his thumbs on Riku's hip bones, Riku gasped again, the book in his hand forgotten as it tumbles from his grip and hitting the floor, now occupied with gripping both of Sora's forearms as his head fell back against the pillows he's propped up against. He wanted so badly to thrust up against Sora but he had no leverage and he had surprising strength as he tested pushing against his forearms and the teen didn't even quake or budge. At the attempt, Sora sent another wave of erotic imagery through their connection that made Riku's hands tremble, now gripping Sora just so he would have SOMETHING to hold onto while the brunette continued to overwhelm his senses with the sheer force of his imagination. He almost couldn't believe it, he was about to cum and the brunette's barely even touching him! As another wave of pleasure wracked his body, he let out a cry, "A-a-ah!" and flew a hand to his mouth in an effort to stifle it.

Sora could tell he was close as Riku trembled almost violently beneath him and leaned in closer so his lips were next to Riku's ear with a satisfied smile on his face that Riku couldn't see.

"See how she leans her cheek upon her hand.  
Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand  
That I might touch that cheek~"

Romeo proclaimed these words loudly at Juliet on a balcony but Sora whispered them so softly into the ear of the teen pinned beneath him, drawing out just the right syllables that would send tingles down Riku's spine until he was a quivering mess. When he heard another sob escape Riku he nuzzled his cheek against the others in a painfully soft gesture and listened as Riku gasped into his ear, his voice quivering as he leaned his head back even further into the pillows, arching his back as his orgasm took hold. The last bit of mercy Sora granted him was releasing one of his hips so that he could help relieve Riku, pumping him gently as he he came all over his own stomach. When he finished he finally kissed Riku softly until he felt him relax beneath him and finally released the pin he had on his thighs so he could get up and grab one of the used towels and clean Riku off. The other teen murred appreciatively as Sora gently cleaned him off while he continued to lay and catch his breath as he came down from the rush that the brunette just put him through.

"That...was not fair," Riku murmured tiredly as he rubbed the tops of his thighs where Sora's knees were pinned into him.

"That's called payback," Sora giggled as he crawled back into bed with him and pulled the blanket back over top of them. 

"I guess I deserved that," the elder teen chuckled while he pulled Sora back into his arms and let his eyes drift closed.

"You sleepy?" the brunette laughed softly as he snuggled into him.

"Nnnngh...not sleepy...just comfortable," Riku responded, barely audible over the ambient sounds of the rainfall outside.

Grinning, Sora decided not to argue with him and just held him as he rested his head on Riku's chest and felt the rise and fall of his ribcage even out as he fell asleep before allowing his own eyes to close and follow after him.


	17. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's not right.

In the Land of Departure it was late at night. A dark figure could be seen slipping out of Sora's room and the teen himself was lying in bed unconscious with dried tear trails caked on the corners of his eyes.

It wasn't much longer before Riku came back with Terra and Aqua, the trio still smiling with relief as they quietly separated to return to their own rooms. When Riku crept quietly back to the room he shared with Sora, he decided to grab a shower before waking him with his presence to rid himself of the stench of darkness. They had returned to the Realm of Darkness in search of the mysterious world that had fallen in order to rescue it with the only clue being that one light was keeping it alive and after much searching, they had reached the end of the trail to find that the world had been restored seemingly on its own, meaning that perhaps the lone light, more than likely a princess of heart, had managed to restore her home. It was an unexpected result but a happy one to be sure. They confirmed with Master Yen Sid that the world had seemed to be freed from the Realm of Darkness. However he decided to keep a close eye out for it for the time being. The hearts of worlds can behave strangely sometimes and while it's possible that the world fell and had been restored, there could be risk of it falling again. Nevertheless, Riku was sure that Sora would be thrilled to hear the news since that means at least he won't have to travel to the Realm of Darkness alone for a while.

After he finished his quick shower he returned to the bedroom and felt something was off as he pulled the bedsheet back, pausing just as he was about to crawl in next to Sora who still hadn't stirred. His nose twitched and he smelled himself again. _Darkness? Still?_ His clothing and shoulder plate were still on the other side of the room and he was dressed in sweat pants. There was nothing else on his own person that darkness could've clung to. Nevertheless he double-checked. _Nope, it's not me._

He cautiously gazed around the room and found nothing had been disturbed, nor was there anybody else present. _So why?_ He carefully gripped the headboard and leaned over to get a whiff of Sora. Sure enough the familiar stench hit his nose and his eyebrows raised with concern. It was a faint smell, like he had been in contact with a source rather than the smell Sora had when he was afflicted with the crystals that were embedded in his body for several months. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but the scent was starting to disappear even as he was standing there thinking about it. It was so strange. Suddenly Sora stirred at long last and opened his eyes to see Riku hovering over him.

"Riku?" he asked hoarsely. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Riku tried to assure him. _At least I didn't think so until I came in here._ He didn't want to alarm the sleepy brunette but things were getting even more suspicious. He rested his hand on the pillow beneath Sora's head and found the surface to be wet. _Had he been crying?_ Now extremely concerned, he reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. "Sora, are you okay?"

The brunette winced from the light and rubbed at his eyes, also surprised to find he had been crying. His propped himself up with one hand and ran the other over his chest as if to check in with himself and found he had that weird empty feeling again. With a sigh he shook his head and looked back at Riku with a half-hearted attempt at a smile, "I dunno. I guess?" he again said in a hoarse voice.

"Are you getting sick?" Riku asked, pressing a hand to Sora's forehead. It felt cold and clammy.

"Nnnn..." Sora's eyes closed as he felt Riku's warm hand over his forehead. As much as he wanted to say no, something did feel wrong. He just didn't know what.

"Sora?" the elder teen whispered softly, now genuinely worried as his trailed his fingers down Sora's face and down his neck where Sora suddenly felt REALLY warm, like he had been out sunbathing kind of warm.

Sora suddenly let out a cry and grabbed Riku's hand, "Just get in here, would you?" he asked, grappling for the teen so as to tug him into bed.

"Okay, okay," the keyblade master said soothingly as he quickly complied, wrapping one arm around him while reaching once again to turn the light back off before settling with Sora under the sheets and holding him close. "I'm here."

"I missed you," Sora whispered into Riku's chest as his arms snaked around the taller teen. "I hate it when you go in there without me."

"I know," Riku said softly as he ran his fingers through Sora's hair which was damp with cold sweat. The rest of the other's body was almost too hot to touch but it was starting to cool the longer he held him. "I was going to wait until morning but since you're awake...the world we're looking for is back in the realm of light. We don't have to go back for a while."

"That's such good news!" Sora smiled happily as he squeezed Riku tighter. "I'm so relieved!"

"I am, too," Riku chuckled as he nuzzled Sora's chestnut locks. "Dare I ask how your training with Ven went?"

"I'm doing okay," Sora said cautiously. "I can wear the helmet now. But I need breaks every now and then if I wear the full armor. I just can't get over having that thing pressing into my chest. You'd think that'd be the easy part." He suddenly coughed as he realized how sore his throat actually was. He thought his voice was just froggy from waking up but it still hasn't gone away. He tried clearing his throat but it didn't seem to work.

"Do you need some water?" Riku asked. When Sora nodded, he disentangled himself to get him a glass of water from the bathroom. When he got back, Sora was already sitting up and accepted the drink gratefully, gulping it down quickly before handing the glass back to him. "Better?"

"I think so," Sora replied but he was still raspy. "That's weird." He felt Riku looking at him and quickly said, "I don't feel sick."

Riku set the glass aside and crawled back under the covers with him. "Let's just sleep for now," he murmured, holding Sora close yet again. His body temperature was beginning to feel normal again at least.

Sora sighed and burrowed into Riku's side. "Good night, Riku."

"Good night, Sora."


	18. Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naminé staves off the demon that plagues Sora...for now.

It was late evening in Twilight Town. Everybody else had gone to sleep except for Naminé. The blonde was in the library anxiously sketching away. Her hands trembled as she drew a pair of piercing yellow and red eyes piercing through a sea of blackness. For a few weekends now while the others were asleep, Naminé felt a disturbance from Sora, albeit a short one. The brevity of it made her hope that maybe Sora was just having a nightmare and that Riku was taking care of him. Whatever it was, she was positive the others felt it, but it didn't disturb them enough to wake them from their own sleep. She didn't notice it right away either but became suspicious when it seemed to start happening on a consistent schedule. Then when she found out that Riku had been on a mission with Terra and Aqua in the Realm of Darkness on the weekends and certainly not with Sora, she decided she needed to investigate for herself.

When she sat down and sifted through Sora's recent memories, she was disturbed to find gaps of time where memories were missing. They were short, almost unnoticeable, but she could see. Things had been rearranged in Sora's chain of memories so that they would be forgotten. It's one thing if Sora just forgot, but there was clear evidence of tampering that Naminé recognized, a magic very similar to her own. But that should be impossible unless somebody had a direct connection to Sora's heart like she did.

"Somebody close to Sora is doing this..."

Within Sora's heart she wrung her hands as she considered other possibilities, but it was soon clear who was responsible. Ventus still held a piece of Sora's heart. As she found and looked through the disconnected memories, she was horrified to see Ventus clearly being controlled by a dark and powerful force; a demon who hungered for the fear still being harbored in Sora's heart. She wept as she saw the events unfold as seen through Sora's eyes, clutching the orb of memories tightly to her chest as she felt Sora's anguish. She cried for Sora. She cried for Ventus. She cried for her friends. If they knew...it would tear them apart.

"These memories are best left forgotten...but what should I do?"

 _I have to be brave._ She decided. _I can't let this continue._

So she waited. In the library she waited for the minutes to tick by, occupying herself with her drawings as she waited for the tell-tale sign of distress from Sora. That feeling of fear and panic and the feeling of slow, creeping emptiness followed by helplessness and then nothing. She had to remain calm. She had to listen with all her heart. She needed to be ready.

Then she felt it. A stab of fear. Her eyes widened and she gasped at the icy feeling penetrating her heart. Though she was prepared, the sensation startled her so much that she snapped the crayon clutched in her hand. Her other hand flew over her chest as she struggled to breathe. In an attempt to make sure she would catch the culprit she had her connection to Sora wide open to the point she could almost feel the same intensity of what he was going through. It was almost too much! She cried out and clutched the table as she pushed through their connection. She had to reach Sora! She closed her eyes and projected herself to Sora's heart. Whatever was there was already infiltrating Sora's heart, stoking memories of pain and lighting fires of fear from within. With all the courage she could muster, she stood before the dark being, hands outstretched as she stood between it and what it desired.

"Stop! I will not let you hurt him again! I've seen what you done and I've seen you mess with his memory. I won't let you do that again! Stand down or I will reveal everything you have done and they WILL destroy you."

"If you reveal me, I will destroy Ventus's heart," the being threatened. "You would risk your friend's life?"

Naminé stood firm, the fires of Sora's fear dying down behind her. "If it's to protect Sora, then yes! Ven wouldn't want this! I know you're controlling him! I just don't know why!"

"It's none of your concern," it growled, its yellow eyes piercing through the dark right through Naminé as it watched calm return to Sora with dismay.

"Then leave Sora alone and don't come back!"

The being didn't say another word as it conceded and faded away from Sora's consciousness. Naminé could feel it already getting to work hiding the physical evidence of what it had done. Through Sora's eyes she could see a hand hovering over his face before he was sent to sleep. With a sigh of relief she hurried to repair the damage that had already transpired. Gently holding the links of Sora's most recent memories in her hands, tears streamed down her face as her body trembled with the weight of her next decision. "I don't want you to hurt any more, Sora," she cried as she carefully unlinked the chain and reconnected it, the disconnected link falling and fading into the void. "You can forget...just this once more. Let me protect you...both of you."


	19. Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Sora say thank you.

"FINISHED!" Sora cheered as he threw his pencil down on top of his books. He just finished his homework at Riku's place and was even more proud to see he had finished before Riku, or so it seemed. As he straightened up and stretched he looked over to see that Riku was working on something that didn't actually look like homework and his proud smile fell into a pout. "Whatcha got there?"

"Hm?" Riku looked up from the small card he was writing on. He had a large pile of envelopes and small cards already written and addressed. "Oh, these are thank you cards for everybody who sent me gifts for my birthday."

Sora's eyes widened, "Wait...should I have done that too?"

Riku laughed at the look of panic on Sora's face. "Don't feel bad. We were kind of in the middle of a very long mission. I'm sure nobody was expecting a thank you card while you were still busy healing and trying to hunt down Bob."

"Yeah, but still! Maybe I should do that now. I don't have an excuse not to, right?"

"Heh, I guess that's true," the elder teen smiled and walked over to his desk to pull out a spare pile of blank cards and envelopes. "Here you go, knock yourself out. Maybe write a few extra to update the others who have helped out. I'm sure they'd love to hear how you're doing."

Sora's face broke into a wide smile as he accepted the cards. "Yeah, you're right! I'll do that!" He checked his gummi phone and saw there was still a fair amount of time left before he had to check in with his mom so now seemed as good a time as ever to start. So he hummed to himself as he put away his school books and grabbed a pen from his pencil pouch. "How are these getting delivered, by the way?"

"I was either going to ask Mickey to figure it out or ask Scrooge McDuck's courier service to take care of it," Riku answered.

"Hey, that works out!" Sora grinned, "I ordered something from them a while ago. We can ask them when they drop off my package."

"Oh! Cool. When's that happening?"

Sora checked his phone. "Three more days."

"Guess you better start writing, then," Riku laughed.

Sora laughed too and set the phone down, "You're right."

After sneaking a peek at some of the cards Riku's already written to get an idea of what he should write, Sora wrote a list in his notebook of all the people he wanted to thank and boy was it a long list. He tried to remember who gave what gift and found it a little difficult but thankfully Riku seemed to remember some of stuff that he couldn't, mostly because a lot of it was supplies and Riku was left in charge of such things. After that, he made a list of the people he wanted to thank and update from the worlds they visited, like Elsa and Anna, King Triton and Ariel, and so forth. It seemed like a daunting task but as he started writing, he felt happy as he poured his heart into every card, feeling like he was connecting with each friend as he wrote.

_Dear Herc, Meg, Phil, and Pegasus,_

_Thank you so much for everything you have done for me and Riku and for inviting us into your home. Riku and I had an amazing time on our double date and it's one of my happiest memories. I'll never forget our time together and how you supported me through one of the most difficult times of my life. On that note, you probably already know this, but I'm doing great! I've been crystal-free for a couple of months. Riku and I are back at home and going to school together! I hope you're all doing well. I hope we'll be able to visit you soon!_

_All the best,  
Sora_

_Dear Zeus and_

"Um, Riku, how do you spell that guy's name that made the chest plate for me?" Sora asked.

_Dear Zeus and Hephaestus,_

_I'm sorry I haven't been able to thank you in person. Thank you so for your understanding and thank you for the armored plate you made for me. It's saved me many times. I'm sorry to say it broke, but it protected me from the bad guy and now part of it is inside some new armor that my friends made for me. I'll always treasure it. I hope you and the other gods are well!_

_-Sora_

_Dear King Triton, Ariel, and Sebastian,_

_Thank you so much for helping me and Riku! Ariel, congratulations again to you and Eric. It was a beautiful wedding! Sorry we didn't stick around to say hello but we were there to wave you off! Right after that, we went home and by some miracle, the rest of the crystals in my body came out! King Triton, if it weren't for your guidance, I don't think Riku and I would've gotten as far as we did. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. And Sebastian, thank you for helping Riku write our song. It has really helped us through some tough times. Hope to visit all of you really soon. I'd love to see your next musical, Sebastian! Let's have some finny fun!_

_-Sora_

_Dear Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf,_

_Thank you so much for letting us stay with you. It was so great seeing you guys again. I'm sorry about your balcony, though. I'm also sorry you had to chase after me in the cold. The bandages you made for me were fantastic! I felt so free! They were a lot less itchy too! And the tea was tasty. I still have a lot left. Also I'm better now! The crystals are all gone! I'm sorry I couldn't update you earlier but we were in a rush. Hope everything is still going great with you guys and the hot springs. I hope Riku and I can visit soon!_

_-Sora_

_Dear Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee,_

"Wait...are they still called the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee or are they the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee now?"

"Beats me," Riku shrugged.

"Eh, I already wrote it," Sora also shrugged and continued.

_Thank you so much for everything you have done. Thank you for the supplies and support you have provided while I was hurt and thank you for throwing me a wonderful birthday party! Riku and I are back in school so we're going to be busy for a while, but we're thinking about you guys a lot. I hope all of you are well!_

_-Sora_

The list went on and on and Sora felt his hand cramping up quickly. But one by one he wrote thank you cards to all their friends, thanking them not just for the birthday gifts but for all their love and support. He let them know how much it all meant to him and to Riku and with every one he expressed wishes of seeing them all again really soon. By the time he had finished, he only had one card left and he knew exactly who it was for.

After he finished writing and tucked it into its envelope, his text ring tone went off and he checked to see his mother asking him to pick up some ingredients on the way home for dinner. "That's mom. I gotta get going," he told Riku as he neatly piled the cards he finished and tied them with a ribbon before putting them into his bag with the rest of his school books.

"Want me to walk you out?" Riku asked.

"Nah, you keep working. I'll see you tomorrow," Sora grinned as he leaned down to give Riku a good-bye kiss. "Don't stay up too late."

"Mm...okay," he grinned before turning back to the cards in front of him and noticed there was still one card left on Sora's side of the table. "Sora, you forgot one!" he called after him.

"No, I didn't!" Sora shouted from downstairs. "See you, Riku!"

Riku blinked as he heard the front door closed and shrugged, turning back around to look down at the card only to find that his own name was written on it.

He could already feel his cheeks reddening as he carefully opened the envelope. He also felt a bit of betrayal as he hadn't even gotten to writing his card for Sora yet. "He beat me to it. How did he get all of those cards done so quickly?"

_Dear Riku,_

_It would take a bajillion cards to thank you for all that you've done for me. I don't think I can afford that many, so I'm afraid you're going to have to settle for my undying love and affection. Thank you for all that you have done, for all that you have given me, for being my friend, and for loving me._

_Love always,  
Sora_

Riku felt like his heart was going to explode as he read the short card over and over. " _That guy_..." he groaned affectionately before carefully setting it aside. "Next time, though, he's buying his own cards."

Three days later, before the break of dawn, Sora and Riku made their way to the play island where one of Scrooge McDuck's employees had landed to deliver Sora's order. In exchange, Sora gave him the money and a little extra for the postage for both their bundles of thank you cards. The courier said it wouldn't be a problem and Riku gave an extra tip before they both stood back and waved the ship off as it disappeared into the sky.

"So what did you order?" Riku asked curiously.

"Oh you know, a couple of movies, a shirt, and some other random things," Sora grinned. "I'm gonna head back home really quick to drop it off and swing back by your place for school."

"Sounds like a plan," Riku smiled. "But first~" He grabbed both of Sora's hips and pulled him close to give him a deep kiss, nearly forcing Sora to drop his packages as he practically swooned while Riku slipped his hands into his back pockets and held his back side firmly. When he finally pulled away, he kissed the tip of Sora's nose and grinned mischievously.

Sora's eyes fluttered open when Riku removed his hands and felt an extra weight in his back pocket that definitely wasn't there before, "Wait, Riku--"

"Read it later," the elder teen winked. "Don't keep me waiting too long."

Sora swallowed hard, blushing as he nodded. "R-Right."

Back at home, Sora eagerly went through his packages, tearing apart the brown wrapping paper one by one as he searched for the items he was most looking forward to. A couple of items he didn't unwrap, however, and hurriedly stuffed them into his bedside drawer. The others were a couple of DVDs that he stacked on top of his TV, and the last one held a stack of three shirts. "FINALLY!" he cheered as he unwrapped one and aired it out, pleased to see it didn't have any wrinkles. It was a white, stay-dry undershirt that looked very similar to what Terra wore, but simpler and with a shorter collar. The other cotton shirts he had been wearing under his uniform were just weren't going to cut it anymore. Plus the short collar was just enough to hide about half the scar on the back of his neck if he bent his head down. He still had some time left before he was supposed to meet Riku so he eagerly changed into it, feeling a hundred times better as he slipped it on. Though when he turned around in the mirror he noticed how tightly it hugged everything and couldn't help giving a playful flex before snickering to himself and putting his school uniform back on and re-doing his tie. "Eh, it probably looks a little weird having two collars," he frowned. "But oh well!" he shrugged and grinned again as he hurried to grab his bag.

As it hit him in the side, he remembered the thing Riku slipped into his back pocket. "Well, it IS later," he reasoned with himself as he reached to pull it out. It was one of the thank you cards they spent so much time writing but with his name on it. Remembering what he wrote on Riku's, he started blushing as he wondered what Riku might've wrote on his. Almost too eagerly, he tugged the envelope open and pulled out the card hidden inside, eyes quickly darting to read its contents. "Wow, he has much nicer handwriting than I do!"

_Sora,_

_Thank you. For everything._

_For being you.  
For being my best friend.  
And for loving me._

_Love forever and always,  
Riku _

" _That guyyyyyyyyy_!!!" Sora practically sobbed as he read the card over and over again, his wail so loud that he startled his dad while he was on his way to the bathroom.

"Everything okay, Sora?" his dad asked as he cautiously peeked through Sora's open door.

"*sniff* I'm fine, dad. Just great. *sniff*"

"Are...you sure?"

"Haha, yeah!" Sora laughed as he rubbed his nose on the back of his hand. He then stuffed the card into a book on the shelf before picking up his backpack again. "I'm heading out to school!" he cheered as he hugged his dad's middle on the way out.

"Okay, have a great day," his dad waved, still a little dumbfounded as he watched Sora run down the stairs.

Later, when Riku opened the door to greet Sora, the brunette tackled him into his own entryway, the silverette backing up a few steps before they both fell to the ground. "Guess you liked the card?" Riku asked with a groan.

"You really are a sap after all!" Sora squealed into Riku's chest as he squeezed the older teen tightly.

Riku couldn't help laughing, "You started it!"

"Nuh-uh! You probably had your card written first before you even saw mine, didn't you?"

"I admit nothing," Riku huffed.

"Which is the same as saying yes!" Sora grinned cheekily as he lifted his head and scooched up to give Riku a kiss.

"Mm...think what you want," Riku kissed back.

Sora snickered before getting off of him and offering a hand up, stepping back so that Riku could brush himself off. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me just--Wait...did you change your shirt?"

Sora grinned, "Maaaaybe~ Come on, let's get going." He turned around and started heading out the door but Riku grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

"Oh no you don't!" Riku smirked as he closed the door to block his escape and pinned Sora against it.

"Riku! Not so rough!" the brunette whined.

"Let me see~" the elder teen snickered as he looked him over. "It's cute."

Sora blushed happily, "You like it?"

Riku then lifted the bottom of Sora's school uniform up really high to see how tightly it fitted around Sora's taut abs, "Oh yes!"

"Rikuuuu!" Sora shouted bashfully before shoving Riku's hand and his shirt back down.

"Is it comfortable? I kind of want one," he laughed as he let go and leaned off of the door so Sora can fix himself up again.

"Yup! The fabric is supposed to keep you cool," the brunette beamed.

Riku scoffed, "And you didn't think to ask if I wanted one!?"

"Always trying to copy me, I see!" Sora teased as he opened the door to leave again.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Riku shouted with mock offense as he followed after, locking the door behind him before giving chase. When he caught up and grabbed his hand, the two continued their way to Kairi's house in comfortable silence. They were a little behind schedule, so they weren't surprised to see a few of her classmates already at her door by the time they arrived. Just as they separated their hands and were about 100 feet away, they heard the girls asking Kairi questions and couldn't help overhearing.

"You're so lucky! You get to walk to school with Riku!"

Sora froze in his tracks and pulled Riku behind a tree so they could listen.

"Sora, why are we eavesdropping?" Riku hissed.

"Shhh, I wanna hear!" the brunette whispered back.

"And Sora! They're both so cute!"

Sora's cheeks grew red and Riku had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. They could both almost hear Kairi getting annoyed from here.

"Are you seeing one of them, Kairi? Can you introduce me to the one you don't want?"

Sora's jaw dropped and Riku clutched his sides as his knees buckled from the struggle of containing his laughter.

"It's not like that!" they heard Kairi protest to the other girls and the two teens looked at each other with the same mischievous smiles.

"Did you...?" Sora asked as he pulled a card from his pocket.

"Yeah," Riku confirmed as he pulled out his own.

"You thinking...?"

"Oh yeah, can't pass this up," Riku nodded with a devilish look in his eyes.

Together the two casually came out from behind the tree and approached the group, each greeting with "Good morning, Kairi!" as they stuffed their cards into her hands.

The redhead stared dumbfounded at the cards in her hands but before she could say good morning or even ask what was up, the two surrounded her on each side and gave her a peck on each cheek before walking off, the display earning SQUEALS of shock and awe at Kairi's expense whose expression went from confused to taken aback to enraged in a matter of seconds. "HEY, YOU TWO!!" she called after them while clutching the cards in her hand. "WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!?"

The two cackled and took off running, leaving Kairi to deal with the new barrage of questions in their wake. By the time they got to the school yard, they were panting hard between their fits of laughter.

"Omigosh, she's going to be so mad when she gets here!" Sora wheezed.

"Worth it!" Riku cackled as he clutched his side. "Let's buy her some ice cream to make it up to her later."

"You buy. That whole thing was your idea!"

"It was _our_ idea! Don't pin this on me!"

"Sora, Riku!" Selphie waved them over. "We still have a few minutes 'til class! Wanna play with me?"

The two shrugged and walked over. "Play what?" Sora asked, looking down at the thing in Selphie's hands. "What's that?"

"It's a fortune teller!" Selphie smiled broadly, proudly showing off the colorful paper contraption. "Wanna try?"

"Aren't you a little old for those?" Riku smirked.

"Oh come on, Riku!" Sora laughed, gently slapping him on the arm. "Where's your sense of fun?"

Selphie giggled, "Come on! Try it. Here, I'll ask it a question for you. How about how many kids Sora will have?"

"Alright, go for it!" Sora grinned, peering down into the paper thing in Selphie's hands as she moved her fingers back and forth.

After picking two numbers and opening and closing the paper fortune teller a few times, she had Sora pick a random flap which she unfolded for him. "It says you'll have two!"

Sora gave a side glance at Riku who was avoiding looking at him entirely. Selphie took that as a sign of disinterest but she persisted. "How about you next, Riku?"

"I'm not really--"

"Fine, I'll ask one for you, too! How about when you'll get married?" Selphie giggled.

"Wait--"

"Pick a number!" she insisted.

"Fine, seven," he huffed.

"And another?"

"Thirteen," he answered again, hoping to annoy the girl with a higher number but she seemed unperturbed as her fingers flurried away.

"Alright, pick a flap!"

Riku leaned down to look and picked a teal green flap and she opened it up to reveal the answer. "It says four years from now! Wow, that's really soon!"

"Or not soon enough," Sora mumbled.

"What was that?" Selphie asked but before Sora could brush it off, Riku tapped Sora on the shoulder and nodded towards the gate.

All three looked up to see Kairi stomping towards them, the rest of the girls heading inside and leaving her to deal with her two "boyfriends". "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ABOUT!?"

"We were only kidding, Kairi!" Sora raised his hands in self-defense, but Riku was already trying to escape.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Kairi screeched as she reached up grabbed Riku by the ear before he could slip away. "That was not funny!"

"You're right," Riku said calmly even as she pinched his earlobe painfully. "It was childish and totally Sora's idea."

"WHAT!?" Sora gasped in dismay.

"SORAAAAAAAAA!!"

Selphie looked between the three with a dreamy look in her eyes. "A lover's quarrel?"

"NO!" all three of them protested at once, startling her.


	20. Judo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another rough day in gym class. Sora and Riku make plans for the weekend.

"Haaa...aaaahh...huh....AAAAGH!!! NO! STOP!!"

Sora's parents stood by his door as they heard their son thrash and cry out in his sleep yet again. Both concerned for him but also both afraid to enter. Usually if they wait long enough he settles back down, but it's been hard on both of them to pay witness to it. Night after night they're both waken up in the late hours of the evening and will stay awake worrying about their son's well-being. Both felt helpless as they knew it must've had something to do with the events that must've transpired before he came home. But what could they do?

"Riku...Riku..."

Both sighed tiredly, leaning against the wall as their son's whimpering of the other boy's name signaled the start of him calming down. With tears in her eyes, Sora's mother reached for her husband's hand.

"I hate seeing him like this. I don't know what to do," she whispered as she choked back a quiet sob.

Her husband squeezed her hand in silent frustration. He could fix anything but he couldn't do anything about this. He couldn't protect his only son from whatever it was that he had gone through. Even now, something as simple as soothing him from his nightmares...it didn't feel like his place. He may never understand what he had gone through, but at least there seemed to be one consistent source of comfort for him, and for that he was thankful for. Even so, it was affecting the both of them. As much as they loved their son, they were exhausted. But what could they do? None of this was Sora's fault. How long can they stand by and pretend that everything's okay?

"Maybe...we should take that vacation that we've been putting off," he suggested.

* * *

It was bright and early yet again when Sora arrived to pick up Riku for school. This time armed with an extra lunch box for him.

"What's this for?" Riku asked as he accepted the lunch. He had planned to buy one at school since he ran out of ingredients at home.

"What, can't a guy make lunch for his boyfriend?" Sora grinned cheekily. "But also you're going to need your strength. Our gym classes have judo for the next couple of weeks, remember?"

"Oh, that's right," Riku frowned slightly as he slid the bento safely into his school bag before locking the door. "Thank you for reminding me. And...thank you for lunch."

"No problem!" the brunette beamed happily while Riku took his hand and the two began walking together.

"You seem to be in a cheerful mood," the elder teen smiled fondly.

"Well, that depends on you, I think."

"On me?"

"My parents are going to be away for their anniversary this weekend. I asked if you and I could have a sleepover so we could watch some movies together while they were gone and they said yes. Sooo...do you wanna?"

"A sleepover, huh? What sort of movies?"

"That's a surprise! Hehe. So what do you say?"

"Oh gee, I dunno," Riku teased as he idly swung his and Sora's hands in an exaggerated arch. "You see I might be busy this weekend."

"Oh come on, Riku!" Sora distressed, quickly caving into the teasing.

Riku laughed and stopped swinging their arms to squeeze Sora's hand affectionately. "I'd love to. It sounds like fun."

They continued to chat about their weekend plans as they approached Kairi's place where the redhead was already waiting outside her door.

"So should I bring strawberries?" Riku grinned.

"Don't you dare!" Sora hissed.

"Why, what's wrong with strawberries?" Kairi asked as she greeted them and they started walking.

"N-nothing," Sora grumbled, now separating from Riku so he can stand on Kairi's other side. "Good morning, Kairi."

"Good morning. You two aren't planning another stunt like what you pulled the other day, are you?" she asked while eyeing both of them suspiciously.

"Heh heh, that was hilarious," Riku chuckled.

"NO, IT WASN'T!" Kairi protested shrilly while elbowing Riku lightly in the side. "The girls were harassing me all day about that!"

Riku let out a small oof as her sharp elbow made contact. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, they were!" Sora cackled. "Apparently we're now rivals vying for her attention."

"Rivals, huh?" Riku snickered. "That takes me back."

"You two!" Kairi huffed. "What am I gonna do with you?"

~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Once again the boys and girls were separated into two groups for gym class but this time they were instructed at the same time. All of them were dressed in borrowed gis and belts with their gym uniforms on underneath. Judo was one of those things they've had in gym classes every year since late elementary school so there were already some moves and training exercises that they were familiar with. Now that they're in their 11th year, they were expected to be experienced enough to be ready for more throwing maneuvers. While in class, each of them was paired up with a partner to practice on that was similar to their own weight class so Sora was paired up with Tidus. Nearby, Sora could already tell Kairi was teamed up with Selphie.

Their instructors were the female and male gym coaches (big surprise) and each needed a student volunteer to demonstrate the moves they wanted the class to practice. Sora half-expected the gym coach to pick somebody close to his own size, so it almost didn't register right away when he picked Sora out of the group to demonstrate with.

"Me, Sensei?" Sora asked.

"Did I stutter? Get up here," the coach waved him over to the mat impatiently.

He hurried to do as he was told but he was hesitant to say the least. He could already feel Kairi's eyes watching him with concern as he padded over to the teacher and stood next to him obediently. Compared to the gym teacher, Sora was nearly one third his size in weight, though he couldn't have been much taller than Riku. Just standing next to the sweaty man almost made him want to gag. He already smelled like he had been hanging out with some of the pirates he knew and it nearly burned the hair on the inside of his nose. Not just that, he already had a bad feeling about this. The gym teacher already clearly had it out for him since he's insisted on having the track team bully him day in and day out and now he's forcing him to be the guinea pig when they're clearly nowhere near the same weight class.

The only comfort Sora had was at least there was another female instructor nearby who could at least step in or something if the teacher got out of hand so he did what the coach told him...which is to stand there and let himself get thrown...over...and over. Usually these things were done with one motion at a time, slowly, so the teacher could demonstrate to the class what he wanted them to replicate. But first he clearly took pleasure in showing how it's done very swiftly and forcefully, throwing Sora over his shoulder by his gi or tossing him through the air by his arm so that he slammed into the mat HARD. But even as rough as the teacher was, he didn't let out a single syllable, just the occasional "oof" whenever the teacher threw him hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

He thought he would get some sort of reprieve when it was time for the class to practice on their own, but by the time he rejoined Tidus, he was already felt like he had careened down the side of a mountain for half a mile only to then be called right back up for the next set of instructions. One of his classmates even offered to be the next volunteer after they felt pity for Sora but the teacher waved them off. Sora gave a thankful smile to the student though, just before he was thrown by his gi yet again. Surely by now he thought the other teacher would've said something but she didn't.

The brunette quickly lost track of how many times he had been thrown or pinned as it started to give him a headache. Every time his feet flew over his head and he was blinded by the florescent lighting of the gymnasium he started thinking about the battles he had fought and how many times he had been thrown around by his opponents. How many times has he been thrown into the ground with so much force that his body had actually bounced? How many times has he felt his breath rattle from the sheer force of impact? When he was thrown one more time and slow to get up, the teacher leered over him with a shit eating grin on his face, the shadow cast over Sora made his blood suddenly run ice cold as the silhouette cast by the bright lights made the memories running through his mind all too real. So when the teacher reached down to grab his gi once again, the keyblade wielder reacted on pure survival instinct!

"HAAA!" he shouted, reaching up and grabbing the other's lapels, tugging him down and rolling with the both of them in a somersault, grappling him until he spun them around sideways, choke-holding him with his own gi until he slammed down hard into the mat in a pin with his knee pinned into his waist. His chest heaved as he panted from adrenaline, sweat dripping down his face as everything around him seemed to disappear. He wasn't in gym class, he was on the battlefield. He didn't even hear the unanimous gasps from his classmates. The only thing that pulled him out of it was when he felt the tap on his knee from his gym teacher signaling to let him go. It was enough to snap him back to reality and he quickly released his sensei, scuttling back a few feet as the teacher stood and sputtered for a few seconds.

He wasn't about to apologize, however, as he stood and adjusted his gi, awaiting the reprimand he was sure to get. However the teacher stood and motioned to Sora as if that was planned all along, as if he planned to demonstrate that maneuver next. Sora looked to the side, avoiding the stares of his classmates as the teacher made a show of what had just happened. He at least told Sora to sit back down and he hadn't used him as a demonstration partner for the rest of the session, but by then the damage had already been done. After class, whispers followed him throughout the day.

"Did you see the look on Sora's face?"  
"He totally put sensei in his place!"  
"He's going to be in so much trouble."  
"I wonder where he learned that?"  
"He looked so scary!"  
"I know, I thought he was going to kill sensei there for a minute!"

"Am I...really that scary?" Sora asked himself as he changed shirts in the locker room bathroom stall.

By the time it was Riku's class's turn for Judo, word had already gotten around about how an underclassmen totally knocked the gym teacher flat on his ass. No matter how many times they heard the teacher deny the question and claimed it was part of the demonstration and he was just showing how a smaller opponent can properly take down someone out of their weight class, the rumors persisted. So much so that the students were still whispering amongst themselves even as they practiced the move sets they were given.

Riku was teamed up with Wakka, being the closest to his weight class even if the other was nearly a foot taller than he was. He executed every move against Wakka near perfectly, earning praise from the redhead as he was slammed swiftly into the mat. "Guess you haven't lost your touch, ya?" he chuckled.

"Guess not," Riku chuckled and offered him a hand up so Wakka could practice on him next.

Wakka got into position, wrapping his arms around Riku so he could hold onto his gi properly. "Heard your boy put sensei in his place today, ya?"

"What!?" Riku asked just before he was flipped onto his back with a thud. "You mean Sora?" he winced.

"Who else?" Wakka chuckled as he waited for Riku to get back into his stance so he could grapple him again. 

"You sure it was Sora?" Riku asked. It's not that he wasn't confident that Sora was capable, it was more that he hoped that he wasn't put in that position.

"That's what Tidus said," Wakka said simply as he tossed Riku onto his back again and finished pinning him. "I'm worried for him. You look out for the little guy, ya?"

Riku groaned as he got up again so Wakka can practice for the third time, "Take it easy will you? We got five more of these after this. And besides, Sora can take care of himself."

"Oh like you weren't giving me all you got just a second ago!" Wakka laughed as he flipped Riku again. "Come on, you can take it. You're a big boy!" he chuckled before offering Riku a hand up again. "Look, I know the kid is tough, but sensei can be ruthless. It's our job as upperclassmen to look after the others, ya?"

Riku smiled as he re-tied his gi. "Sure, but what can I do? I'm in no better position than he is to handle anything."

"Just keep an ear out. If you hear anything, we'll see if we can't handle it for ourselves," Wakka winked.

"If you say so."

During lunch, the three didn't discuss what had happened during gym as all of them were so sore they could barely even sit straight in the courtyard under their usual tree. Sora was very tight-lipped for once, the two noticed. But it probably had something to do with the fact that they could all feel eyes looking at him and whispering.

Finally Kairi couldn't take it anymore and gave Sora a nudge, "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I know," Sora muttered quietly.

"I heard it was a fantastic throw," Riku smirked. "The lunch you made was great, by the way. Thank you."

"You're welcome," the brunette answered distractedly.

"So when am I going to get one of these special lunches, Sor-raaaaaa?" Kairi teased.

"I dunno."

Riku grinned slyly, "I think we'll both have to make her a lunch. After all, we're competing for her, aren't we?"

"I guess."

Riku's smile didn't falter, however. He knew how to get a rise out of Sora. "Unless you're afraid I'll do a better job than you~"

"Yeah right," Sora finally smirked. "You're on!"

"Now this I can get behind!" Kairi clapped cheerfully.

"Alright, how about Monday?" Riku suggested.

"Fine by me! Make sure you're hungry, Kairi!" Sora cheered.

"How about you two make one for each other so all three of us can judge?" she suggested.

"So I'll have to make THREE lunches?" Sora groaned.

"What, too much, mister chef?" Riku taunted.

"NO! You're going down!"

The mood was a little more cheery for the rest of the day. Riku stayed behind for an extra few minutes to ask the teacher a question about his homework and expected Sora and Kairi to already be waiting by the gate but when he looked out the window on his way out, he was surprised to see only Kairi waiting. Suspicious, Riku hurried to pack his books and thanked the sensei before leaving. The place was already mostly empty as there weren't any clubs today and students were clearly eager to go home and beat the heat. All the more reason for him to hurry and meet up with Kairi. But just as he turned the corner, he heard a slam against what sounded like one of the lockers that extra supplies were stored in.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're on probation, Sora!" the gym coach shouted.

"I didn't think that was an illegal move, sensei!"

"ENOUGH!"

Riku froze in his tracks and listened, not even daring to peek around the corner as he heard the slamming noise again.

Sora grit his teeth as he glared up at the teacher who had the front of his uniform fisted tightly in his large, hairy hand, eyes glaring back at him menacingly as he threatened to shove Sora back into the locker again. "Let go of me," Sora demanded as calmly as he could muster.

"You fall out of line one more time, and you're failing my class!"

"Sensei--"

"ONE MORE WORD OUT OF YOU--!"

Suddenly both of them heard a shoe locker door slam and looked up to see Riku standing in the hall. "Sora, we're going to be late."

The gym teacher snarled at Riku, releasing his hold on Sora's shirt and letting him up. "Now don't let me catch you loitering after hours again. You know clubs aren't in session today."

"Yes, sensei," Sora muttered, lugging his bag back onto his shoulder as he quickly followed after Riku and the two got out of there.

The two tried to keep the conversation light as they walked home with Kairi who they hoped didn't suspect anything as they dropped her off at home. She already had plans with her mother so she wasn't going to be studying with them today, which was just as well because Riku wanted to talk to Sora alone anyway. Once they got to Riku's place and went to Riku's room, the silverette didn't even let Sora get a chance to pull out his school books before grabbing his hand and guiding him to sit with him on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Riku asked.

Sora shook his head and looked away, staring at the study table as if he'd actually rather study than talk about what just happened. But when he turned his head, Riku could immediately see the rash marks on the side of his neck and the bruising from where large knuckles pressed themselves into his skin over and over. Sure, Riku had a few marks on himself as well, but nothing like this!

Riku growled angrily, startling Sora for a moment before he gently slipped a finger into the half-turtleneck collar of Sora's undershirt and pulled it down to see the rest. "Did that bastard do this?" he snarled.

Sora bit his lower lip as he half-heartedly tried pushing Riku away but Riku persisted, gently pressing him down until he laid on the bed. "Riku..." he whimpered, cheeks red with shame.

"Let me see," Riku said in slightly calmer tone, but no less icy as he pushed up both of Sora's shirts to reveal even more bruising all over his chest and abdomen. "Sora..."

"It's okay," the brunette whispered as he watched Riku's eyes flash from dark green to a bright yellow.

"No! No, it's not!" the keyblade master exclaimed, voice almost cracking with anger as he ran his fingers over where new marks had been made in the large patch of scar tissue still healing on Sora's chest. "It's not, Sora..." he repeated softer while bending his head down to kiss at the bruising, muttering a curaga spell as he kissed away the hurt. "This can't continue."

Sora shivered as Riku's soft lips grazed over the sensitives area and the healing spell sent a comforting warmth over his body. "It's my own fault. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't throw him," he whimpered.

"That's not true! You don't believe that!" the keyblade master growled yet again, tugging down Sora's shirts so he can wrap his arms around him in a hug. "It's like Kairi said, it's not your fault!"

"Yes, it is! I'm stronger than he is! I could've hurt him! I messed up and now everybody is scared of me!"

"Sora, you wouldn't have hurt him," Riku chuckled bitterly. "This is you we're talking about. Give yourself some credit. Now me on the other hand..."

The brunette couldn't help chuckling too as he finally wrapped all four limbs around Riku in a koala cling. "There's nothing I can do. I just gotta wait it out and keep my head down. Otherwise, if I fail his class I won't have the requirements to make it to senior year."

"And what then? Let him harass you for your senior year as well?" Riku scoffed.

"It'll be okay, Riku. I'll be fine," Sora assured him as he nuzzled his nose into Riku's hair. "I'll figure something out."

"Okay. I'm sorry, I know you can handle yourself. But when I see this...I just get so mad."

"I know, Riku," Sora pulled back to kiss the tip of Riku's nose. "It makes me so happy to see how much you care. But I don't want you getting in trouble, too. Kairi would never forgive us if we both get expelled."

"That's true," he snickered as he leaned in to rub the tip of his nose against Sora's in an eskimo kiss. "Just please be careful."

"I will," Sora promised. "Now let's get to our homework or we won't be able to have fun during our sleepover!"


	21. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have a sleepover!

The end of the week couldn't come fast enough for both teens. Sora was so exhausted that it took forever to finish his homework and even Riku himself was almost too sore to work on the treehouse in the late evenings from lifting Wakka over and over. By Friday evening, it was clear to see there was a general excited buzz in Sora's household.

"Don't forget to bring your pajamas tomorrow, Riku," Sora's mom reminded him jokingly as she served them both study snacks.

"Don't worry. I'm bringing my onesie," Riku laughed.

"Good boy!" she also laughed as he mentioned the pajamas she got him for his birthday.

"Wait, what's that about a onesie?" Sora asked.

"Focus on your homework, Sora," the woman playfully chided.

The next day, the two went to the treehouse after school so Riku could show Sora all the work he's done. By now he's added a much bigger adjoining room to the main part that he started with. However it's nowhere near as finished-looking as the original as he had already put insulation and sheetrock in along with a small generator made out of gummi blocks that provided power for the air conditioning unit that he installed in the window.

"Whoa! You did this all yourself, Riku?" Sora gasped in astonishment as he ran his fingers over the walls that just needed painting, but Riku hadn't progressed any further because he forgot about the need to install wiring and wondered if he should remove it or put the wiring through the ceiling.

"Yes, but I need an electrician," Riku sighed as he flipped the switch on the gummi block powering the air conditioning. "I've been reading a lot of books but I think I need somebody more experienced so I don't end up burning the place down."

"Since you're already using gummi blocks, have you thought about asking Cid?" Sora asked.

"I suppose I could. I just..."

"You don't feel comfortable asking for favors?" Sora finished for him, grinning. "I'll ask him for you! But wow, you're putting a lot of work into this place, huh?"

"Well yeah, there was something I wanted to ask you about," Riku glanced away as he scratched his cheek, earning a suspicious look from Sora. "I guess I was hoping this could be a place for us to go and be alone...if you wanted to. That way we could spend more time together."

"A place for us?" Sora blinked before breaking into an even wider smile. "That sounds fantastic! I want to help!"

"I was hoping you would," Riku grinned fondly. "But I don't want it to just be a clubhouse or something like that. I was thinking it could be something more."

"Something more?" the brunette tilted his head.

"Yeah...I guess. Maybe," Riku stammered slightly, now suddenly feeling very shy about his plans. "Anyway, I'm also figuring out how to get running water in here so maybe one day it'll even have its own bathroom...like a real one. I want it to be self-sufficient. Once I get the wiring figured out, we can set up the solar panels and...Sora?" he glanced over as he realized the younger teen suddenly looked a little down. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, don't mind me. It all sounds really great! But it sounds like you're building a house house," Sora pointed out.

"I think I am," Riku smiled.

"Oh..." Sora looked even more crestfallen.

Riku's smile fell too when Sora didn't sound too pleased with the idea and reached out to touch his elbow. "Is that okay?"

"No! I mean YES. I think it's great! I just mean...this place is a little far away though, isn't it?"

"Far away...?"

"From everybody else."

"Well yeah, that's kind of the point, Sora!" Riku chuckled.

"So you're trying to get away?" Sora asked.

"We all have to move out one day, Sora," Riku chuckled again, slipping his arms around Sora's waist to pull him in close as the brunette's lips were now turned into a pout. "It won't be for a while, but I've kind of decided I don't want to live at home any longer than I have to. I love my parents but I'm tired of living in a mostly empty home that doesn't feel like mine," he admitted.

"I get it," Sora looked down. "I don't feel so comfortable at home either."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked softly.

"Mom and dad...I know me being there is hard on them. I can see it in their eyes. They're exhausted and I feel like it's my fault. I've offered to pay for things and stuff and I know they love me so much but whenever my dad looks at me he looks so sad."

"Sora..."

"Sorry," Sora looked up again with a smile. "I didn't mean to unload on you. I'm happy for you. I'll visit you whenever I can!" he beamed.

"PBBBBBBBT!" Riku couldn't help laughing, his shoulders shaking as he hugged Sora close to his chest. "I was hoping you'd live with me, you dummy!"

"Wait, what?"

"I just said this is a place for US, didn't I?" Riku laughed. "I want this to be our home!"

"OUR home?" Sora repeated. "For us?"

"Yes!" Riku laughed harder and pulled slightly away so he can read Sora's face. "Would you like that?"

"I would!" Sora laughed, tears threatened to leak out of the corners of his eyes. "I'd love to live with you, Riku! Wait, we're going to live in a treehouse?"

"Yeah! Is that okay?" he asked.

"It's more than okay! I love it!" he cheered as he hopped in Riku's arms to wrap all of his limbs around him happily. "This is so awesome, Riku!"

The silverette stumbled back a step as he held the excited teen in his arms tightly. "Now remember, it's still going to be a while! There's a lot to do!"

"I know, I know!" Sora practically vibrated. "Omigosh, I can ask my dad if I can apprentice under him so I can learn how to help!"

"But your dad makes boats," Riku pointed out.

"Yeah, and CABINS inside said boats!" Sora pointed out.

"Oh yeah, that WOULD be helpful!" the silverette beamed, now also vibrating with excitement. "So...we're doing this?"

"We're doing this!" Sora confirmed, punching a fist high into the air.

"YES!" Riku exclaimed happily as he spun the both of them around!

"Whoa, Riku! Careful, low ceiling!"

"Ooh! Sorry!"

The couple were still abuzz with their excitement even as they returned to Sora's for the evening to prepare for their sleepover. Sora insisted on making them dinner and Riku brought some of Sora's favorite snacks for them to enjoy while they watched the movies.

"Don't look in the fridge," Sora warned. "The ingredients for Monday's lunch are in there!"

"You're really taking this competition seriously, aren't you?" Riku grinned slyly as he playfully grabbed for the fridge.

Sora dashed to stand in front of the appliance protectively. "Yes! I won't lose to you!"

Riku laughed and ruffled the brunette's hair playfully. "We'll see about that."

"Nnnnn!! _You!_ " he scoffed as he half-heartedly shoved Riku away. "Go get your pajamas on so we can watch our movies!"

"Fine, fine."

Over dinner, the two discussed the treehouse and made plans for when they could work on it together. Riku explained how he'd been working on it in the evenings, much to Sora's amazement. It was definitely agreed upon that they would have to hurry with their training in the Land of Departure so that all their upcoming weekends would be free because once blitzball starts they would have even less time to work on it.

"Do we even HAVE to do blitzball?" Sora whined, now even less interested.

"Don't you want to at least try it out?" Riku asked. "It's just for one season. Besides, the treehouse isn't going anywhere. We have plenty of time."

"I knoooow. I'm just impatient," the younger teen grinned. "I still almost can't believe it. I'm so happy!"

"I'm glad," Riku smiled fondly as he reached for Sora's hand under the table. "It really wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. Of course I'd want to share it with you."

"Riku..."

The elder teen chuckled as he gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Still can't believe you thought I would move without you."

"Aw, come on, Riku! Don't make fun of me!" he whined!

After that, their phones both started buzzing and they spent time reading their messages as they finished up their dinner.

Roxas: U bunch of saps!  
Riku: I don't know what you're talking about. :]  
Roxas: Yes u do! I just got ur cards  
Riku: Glad you liked it.  
Roxas: Whatever. U still coming to our birthday party?  
Riku: Wouldn't miss it.

Goofy: Just got your card. Did you get the package I sent you?  
Sora: Yay! And yes I did. :D Thank you so much.  
Goofy: Okie-dokie! No problemo!

Mickey: Thanks for the card, Riku! Let us know if you need anything else!  
Mickey: How's the treehouse coming along?  
Riku: It's going great. I just told Sora about it.  
Mickey: Oh really? :O  
Riku: Yes! He's really excited.  
Mickey: Haha! Of course he is! I'm so happy for the both of you! Minnie says hi!  
Riku: Say hi back! I'll catch you later! :)  
Mickey: Will do, pal!

Great_Ninja_Yuffie: We just got your card!  
Sora: Great! :D  
Great_Ninja_Yuffie: Your handwriting is terrible. ;P  
Sora: Sorry. ^^;

Their thumbs were flying for a while, both impressed by how quickly the cards got delivered. Once the messages stopped coming, Riku stood to clean the dishes and Sora hurried pop some popcorn and get the movies ready. By the time Riku joined him upstairs, dressed in his own pajamas, Sora was already dressed in a long red pajama shirt dress and socks with the unwrapped DVD boxes next to him. He had piled a whole bunch of soft plushies and pillows onto the bed so they could have something to sit against and moved his small desk with TV on top closer to the bed so they could see better. Upon seeing Sora in the bed clutching a meow-wow plushie, Riku felt his cheeks redden at how cute he looked as he also noticed part of his pajamas had ridden a little high on one thigh.

Sora looked up at Riku from the TV, remote clutched in the other hand as he flipped through the DVD menu. His own cheeks were pink as he looked Riku over, the elder teen wearing a blue zip-up onesie complete with a hood lined with yellow on the inside. "You look so cute, Riku!"

"Ha, I was going to say the same about you," Riku grinned bashfully as he joined Sora on the bed with a handful of pocky packages, setting them down next to the popcorn bowl as he settled in behind Sora. "So what are we watching?"

[Art by RiamFatima](https://twitter.com/RiamFatima/status/1277790119009890305?s=20)

"First a scary movie and then a classic!" Sora giggled as he settled against Riku.

"A scary movie, huh? What's it called?" he asked as he got comfortable and wrapped his arms around Sora.

"It's called _Labyrinth_! After that, we're watching _Cinderella_!"

"Wait, really? There's a movie?"

"Apparently. I found it in the catalogue that I ordered my shirts from," Sora explained casually before nonchalantly turning off the bedside table lamp and hitting the play button.

As they watched the movie, Riku couldn't help groaning at some of the cheesy acting in the beginning, but Sora shushed him as they continued to watch. After all, the best part hadn't come yet. When the Goblin King made his grand entrance, Sora hopped up so excitedly that he nearly knocked the popcorn over. "IT'S YOU, RIKU!"

"What are you talking about?? That's not me!"

"No, I mean, look! It's your Halloween Town form. Kinda!" Sora pointed out, pausing the screen so both could admire Jareth in all his fantastic glory.

Riku squinted for a moment but he quickly saw the resemblance. "Oh, would you look at that. I hope he's a cool character or I'm going to have to tweak the spell myself."

"Oh he is!" Sora bounced excitedly as he pushed play again. "I can't believe you've never seen this movie."

"I can't believe _you_ have if it's as scary as you say," Riku retorted.

The two enjoyed watching the movie for the most part. There were a few slow moments that made Riku unwrap the boxes of pocky out of boredom, but what he really enjoyed were the so-called scary parts that had Sora squirming in his lap and clinging to him as he hid his eyes from the screen.

"Come on, you've seen scarier things, Sora!" Riku chortled as he held onto the smaller teen.

"Those hands are creepy! I don't like it!"

When Jareth suddenly said "Nothing? Nothing tra-la-la?" Riku completely lost it, forcing Sora to pause the movie until he could get his laughter under control.

"W-what was that???" Riku struggled to ask between laughs.

"Absolutely nothing...tra-la-la..." Sora answered with a grin.

"PBBBBT!!" Riku clutched Sora harder as he laughed since he was unable to let go and clutch his own sides, squeezing the heck out of Sora as he exploded with mirth.

"It wasn't THAT funny!"

"YES, IT WAS!" Riku insisted.

Once Riku's snickering died down to an acceptable volume level, Sora hit play again and couldn't help saying "Oh my" when Hoggle kneeled down in front of Jareth, focusing the camera's attention on the goblin king's waist area where one particular part of him stood out very prominently through his tights.

"I heard that~" Riku muttered into Sora's ear, making the teen in his arms blush really red.

"Wait wait wait!" Sora shook his head but Riku was already leaning in to nibble on his ear lobe.

"What's said is said~"

"But I didn't mean it!" Sora whimpered.

"Oh you didn't?" Riku grinned as he playfully moved a hand to grope Sora's backside.

"STOP, RIKU!" Sora whined as he swatted at Riku's wandering hand. "We're watching a movie!" Which earned another laugh from Riku who loosened his grip and let him continue watching the movie in peace...for the most part.

"How long is this movie?" Riku groaned just as they got to the weird fire dancing scene. "Can we go back to the cleaners scene?"

"No, that part was scary! Besides, the ball scene's almost here!"

"He juggles MORE balls?"

"Not that kind of ball!"

"Dare I ask?"

"RIKU!"

"SORA!"

The costume ball scene was pretty cool, but once again Sora got freaked out by the weird little hoarder puppet. After an interesting scene where the heroes use boulders to take down the army of goblins, Riku could barely keep a straight face when Sarah said she had to face the dragon king alone because "that's how it's done". Sora didn't have to hear him though, he could already feel him smirking against his cheek as he continued to cuddle him during the movie.

Once it was over, Sora was already eager to pop in the next movie as Riku stretched his limbs and grabbed a handful of popcorn. "That was NOT a scary movie."

"Speak for yourself!" Sora chuckled as he sat back down. "Were you disappointed?"

"No, I enjoyed it. But I was looking forward to you being a little more scared," he admitted as he leaned in to kiss Sora.

"Mmm...Riku..." Sora moaned softly into the kiss before pulling away. "That's sweet...but also kinda mean."

"Hehe," Riku chuckled guiltily and let Sora hit play. Truth to be told he was looking forward to this one. "Aqua told me she's met Cinderella."

"I have, too," Sora blurted out before biting his lower lip. "Uh...but I didn't get to talk to to her very much. Ahem." He cleared his throat awkwardly before stuffing his face full of popcorn again.

The teens had a good time laughing at Lucifer the cat and witnessing Cinderella get impatient with him. The mice were very enjoyable to watch and they couldn't help humming along to the song they all sang while they made her a dress. Both were teary-eyed when her dress and spirit were completely destroyed. They held hands as they waited for the fairy godmother to arrive to lift her spirits and they both silently cheered as she performed her magic to give Cinderella a beautiful ball gown. By the time Cinderella got to the ball and began dancing with the prince, the two were already very sleepy, nodding off to the soothing song until both were sideways on the bed, empty popcorn bowl tumbling forgotten to the floor.


	22. Howling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I would be lost, drifting alone  
> Floating up high, time after time  
> And there you'd be, shining brightly  
> Your smiling face, to guide my way
> 
> Bloody and bruised, brought to my knees  
> When beaten down, when broken up  
> You would appear, reach out to me  
> Heal every wound, and make me whole
> 
> Was it all a dream? Will I never know?  
> Foolish and blind, to everything  
> Had I realized, had I thought it through  
> Would you be here, in my embrace?
> 
> Shine bright, once more  
> Guide me, to you  
> Smile bright, once more  
> This time, I will never let you go
> 
> With your every smile, hiding something more  
> Dark mysteries, lurking beneath  
> But I was consumed, with this emptiness  
> This selfishness, this void to fill
> 
> Hear me, once more  
> Show me, your smile  
> This time, for sure  
> I'll see, the truth hidden inside your tears
> 
> But I, I know  
> That you're, long gone  
> But I, I will  
> Go on, howling and hollow
> 
> To never know
> 
> [『Hollow』by Yosh (Survive Said The Prophet)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQMZdR9grFw)

The two keyblade wielders slept as the as the TV flickered into sleep mode from lack of use. In the brief flicker of the screen, it was clear to see Riku's brow furrowed deeply as he clutched the sleeping brunette in his arms. Said teen seemed to be unaware that Riku was in distress as he snored softly while clutching his meow-wow plushy under one arm with the other hand entangled with Riku's against his stomach.

I believe in Sora.

<#3Wish

Text flashed before Riku's eyes along with a photograph of Sora; a moment he recognized from the Keyblade Graveyard. A look of quiet determination on his face as he looked toward the sky just before he left to rescue Kairi's heart.

Riku could then hear his own voice...tired and almost defeated.

"We've looked everywhere for Sora..."

He was in Merlin's house. It was dark, the room only lit by a bright, flickering computer screen. Sitting in front of the controls was himself, his head resting on his own arms while he stared at a gummi phone propped up against the computer. As if floating, he wandered closer to see the phone turned on with a picture from Sora's kingstagram open on the screen. His heart clenched immediately as he recognized the photo. It's one of his favorites that Sora took himself before the Keyblade War happened. It's one of him on the gummi ship, smiling broadly for the camera while posing in front of the cockpit window. You can almost hear him saying "Cheese!" through his toothy smile as he posed in front of the stars that were brightly visible outside the window. He had the picture saved on his own phone. Since Sora was so bad at heart-tagging his photos, Riku would never be able to find it again on Kingstagram anymore if he hadn't.

From there, his eyes flicked to the larger computer screen where he was surprised to see the back of Sora standing in what looked like a room full of doors. The Riku leaning over the desk sighed loudly and straightened up to stretch before rubbing his eyes and returning to the controls to control the Sora on screen. "Is this...a data simulation?" Riku asked out loud. But before the Data Sora even walked into another door, the Riku in front of him hesitated, lifting his hands again to fist at his eyes. "I need to keep going. I need to find Sora! There's gotta be an answer in here!"

Riku's heart clenched again. What kind of nightmare is this? The gummi phone on the table switched off from not being used but the seated Riku grabbed it quickly and turned the screen on yet again. Very briefly Riku could make out the date. "That's...almost two months from now. Wait...so that means..."

"Sora..." the dream Riku whispered, clutching the phone tightly in his hands. "A year and no answers!" he growled with frustration as he set the phone back up and returned to the keyboard with renewed determination, despite his exhaustion. "I WILL find you!"

Riku gasped and grit his teeth as his heart ached for the look of pained anguish on this Riku's face. _This can't be right. This can't be real. This is a dream, right?_

"DAMNIT!" the dream version of himself lost his temper, slamming both fists down on the keyboard and clutching his head as he apparently lost again. To what, he wasn't sure as he couldn't bring himself to pay attention. But it startled him enough that he nearly woke up, only to find himself somewhere else entirely.

The teen was still reeling from what he just witnessed when he took in the sights of his new location. He appeared to be in the middle of a city at night. It almost reminded him of San Fransokyo but very empty! There were parked cars and the lights were mostly lit. Everything was also wet as if it had just finished raining. Everything was just too eerily quiet except for the sounds of all the fluorescent lighting and the gentle gusts of wind that blew between the buildings.

As he crossed the street and walked along the sidewalk, he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. Suddenly he heard rapid footsteps behind him and turned around to see a familiar face! "SORA!" he called out, overjoyed to see Starlight Sora running towards him. However, the teen looked distressed. As he saw Riku, his look of fear turned into one of desperation as his body became solid, fully resembling his real life self as he ran towards the keyblade master. Behind him, Riku could see a figure with silver hair chasing right him, hot on his heels as the brunette nearly slipped and stumbled in a puddle as he ran for his life.

"Sora!" Riku called again, running towards him as the other stretched his hand out for his, his mouth moving as he clearly tried calling out Riku's name. But when their hands connected, Riku felt a lurching in his stomach and found himself on top of another building. He whipped around desperately to look for Sora only to find the brunette clashing weapons with the silver-haired man. "STOP!" he shouted at the two just as the mysterious man struck Sora across the chest! "NOOOOO!!!" Riku screamed as he watched Sora fall to his knees.

"Sorry, but I don't lose."

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Riku roared but the other paid him no attention. He clenched his hand as he desperately tried to summon Braveheart, but his weapon wouldn't come. There was nothing he could do but stand there in stunned silence just as a pool of crystal rapidly formed at Sora's feet and began crawling up his body before fully encasing him in ice-like crystal. "S-Sora?" he whispered brokenly, tears streaming down his face as he made a step towards the crystalized teen. "Sora, no..."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Riku woke up, distraught and furious as he flailed in the dark. "SORA!!!"

"I'm here, Riku! I'm here!" Sora cried from on top of him, his arms pinning Riku's shoulders down until he stopped struggling. "It's alright! I'm here!"

The silverette ceased his struggling, panting hard as he squinted through the dark. When he seemed to have calmed, Sora reached over to turn on the bedside lamp and attended to Riku, cupping his tear-stained cheeks with both hands. "Sora..."

"That's right, it's me," Sora whispered soothingly as he pressed gentle kisses across Riku's forehead. "You just had a bad dream."

"It felt so real," Riku struggled to speak around the tears that continued to clog his throat. More continued to escape from his eyes as he looked up at Sora's concerned face. "I couldn't find you. I couldn't save you and--"

"Shhhhh..." Sora hushed him softly while he thumbed away Riku's tears. "Just breathe. Everything's okay. I'm here."

Riku closed his eyes tightly, but all he could see was the vision of Sora falling before him, his head turned up towards the sky as crystal consumed his body. "No...No..." he babbled between shallow breaths as his body shook from the forcefulness of his sobs.

"Riku?"

"There was a city and a man. A man with hair like mine and two different colored eyes. He had a glowing red weapon and he...he..."

Sora's eyes widened, his heart leaping in his chest as he caught a glimpse of the man causing Riku's heart so much distress through their connection. "Yozora...?"

Riku suddenly sat up, "Wait, could you see?"

Sora shook his head, "I only saw a tiny bit. Did he have one red eye and one blue eye?"

"Yes! Do you know him?" he asked as he grabbed Sora's shoulders.

The brunette shook his head again, "Not really. I've heard OF him. He's a video game character."

"A video game...?" Riku's grip slackened as he felt himself relax slightly. "He's not real?"

The keyblade wielder wrapped his arms around Riku and stroked soothing fingers through his hair as he held his head close to his chest. He was only partially telling the truth. He's seen an alternate timeline, a reality that the Master of Masters tormented him when they fought. A reality where he didn't come home and fought a mysterious man named Yozora...and lost. But there's no way he could tell Riku about that, not now when he's more distressed than Sora's ever seen him before. "It was just a bad dream," Sora whispered into his hair before kissing his temple. "I'm here," he gently reminded him. "Everything's okay."

Riku chose to believe what Sora was telling him and clutched him tightly as he listened to his heartbeat while he willed for his own to calm. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Riku," Sora responded softly as he kissed him again.

"I'm still scared sometimes...of losing you," Riku admitted as he relaxed in Sora's arms.

"Then I'll just have to always be here to hold you until you aren't scared anymore," the brunette said simply, pulling away to smile at him. "We'll never lose each other again. We'll always be connected. You can't get rid of me even if you wanted to."

Riku chuckled wetly as he tilted his head up to meet Sora's lips in a chaste kiss. "You got that right."

The both of them giggled quietly until a comfortable silence fell over them again. When Riku let out a loud yawn, Sora took that as a sign to turn off the light once more. He then carefully dismounted Riku's waist and turned toward him, wrapping his arms around the elder teen to let the other continue to rest his head on his chest. He continued to run soothing fingers through his scalp while his other hand drifted lazily and up and down Riku's back in comforting circles. "Your hair's getting long," Sora observed quietly.

"Mm..." Riku hummed as he melted against Sora, exhaustion beginning to take over once more. "Can't decide if I should just let it grow again."

Sora smiled fondly as he played with the silver strands. "I like it both ways."

"That doesn't help me at all," Riku snickered.

"Who said I was trying to help?" Sora asked cheekily.

"I see how it is," Riku grumbled good-naturedly. "Maybe I should just shave it off."

"NOOOOOOOO!" Sora whined and held him tighter, nearly squishing the other.

Riku laughed and nuzzled into his chest. "I'm kidding! I don't think I could pull off being bald."

"You could pull off any look you wanted, Riku," the brunette snickered, feeling the other blush into his chest. "But I do think I would prefer you keeping your hair, yes."

"No worries there," the silverette smiled sleepily. "Sora?"

"Hm?"

"Let's go somewhere tomorrow, just the two of us."

Sora yawned sleepily and closed his eyes, "Sure. How about the play island? I'm curious to see how that little paopu tree is doing."

"Heh, okay. Sounds like a plan," he also yawned. "And after?"

"Hmmm..." Sora tried to think but he fell asleep before he could answer.

Riku glanced up but he could already feel Sora's breathing become deep and even so he resorted to fingering one of the buttons on Sora's pajamas until he too fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an FYI, new art has been added to Chapter 13! Please enjoy! <3


	23. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku makes an awesome sandwich and Tidus is a snoop!

Ever since the sleepover, Riku had become a little more...clingy. It was a very slight change, but it reminded Sora of the possessiveness that his dream eater form sometimes displayed, just a smidge. It was just in the way Riku looked at him and how much closer he stood than usual. Now Riku was also slipping a finger into his pocket as they walked side by side, making them appear much more attached at the hip. As much as Sora liked it, it worried him a little. Something had clearly upset his best friend but he wouldn't say any more about it.

They had spent the entire Sunday together. Riku even wanted to sleep in and Sora was more than happy to just hold him in his arms as they dozed in and out until it was almost noon. They even packed a small lunch to take with them to enjoy at the play island where they found the paopu seeds they had planted were indeed taking root into a whole bunch of tiny little trees.

"Wow! There are so many!" Sora gasped as he knelt down and looked at the tiny bunch of baby trees that were almost ankle height.

Riku also squat down to look. "There might even be _too_ many clustered here. Maybe we can re-pot one and plant it near the treehouse at some point?"

"I think that's a great idea!" Sora beamed, earning a fond look from Riku.

After they had a little picnic together, they even went swimming to cool off, something they hadn't done in quite a while. However, Riku was rather dismayed that Sora insisted on keeping his shirt on.

"You don't have to hide around me," Riku said.

"I know, but what if somebody sees?" Sora asked as he waded next to him.

"So what?" the keyblade master asked as he brushed a hand over the scar on Sora's leg, making the brunette shiver.

The brunette swallowed hard before swimming closer to Riku so that he has him pinned against the stone barrier of the island with the paopu tree. "So what? What about you?"

"Me?" Riku asked.

"The scar on your hip!" Sora hissed as he ran his fingers over said mark. "Remember how you didn't even want me touching it at one point?"

Riku shuddered as Sora's fingers grazed over the old injury. The damage that once lied beneath had been healed in Arendelle but the scar remained. However, it only seems to be this sensitive whenever Sora touches it. "Touching it is one thing, but I've never hidden it from you. And remember what you said to me back in Thebes when you asked why you weren't allowed to see yourself?"

Sora averted his eyes as a blush of shame reached his cheeks, "As long as you love me, I don't care what it looks like."

"That's right," Riku sighed with relief. "I understand if you're at school and you don't want to draw attention to yourself but out here...does it matter?"

"I don't know," Sora shook his head as he took Riku's left hand into his own and traced the faint scarring there on his wrist beneath the bracelet he made for him. "I guess I've also been hiding it at home. So I've just been hiding everywhere. I don't want to hurt anybody."

"How would you be hurting anybody?" Riku asked as he gently turned Sora's face to look at him with an index finger crooked under his chin.

Sora bit his bottom lip before answering, "I know mom and dad know that I've been hurt, obviously, but I don't want to remind them of it every time they look at me. And now at school I've scared my classmates!"

"Your classmates? Sora, I don't think you scared them. I think what you're experiencing is respect."

"Huh? Respect?"

Riku couldn't help laughing, but it was a sad laugh as he wrapped his arms around Sora. "Sora. Sora, Sora, Sora..."

"What?" Sora blushed harder as he squirmed in Riku's hug. "What did I do that was worth respecting? I threw a teacher!"

"Exactly!" Riku sighed, "You stood up for yourself against authority when you were clearly being wronged. That's worth respecting. Sora, ALL OF YOU is worthy of respect."

Sora couldn't help smiling despite himself, "Can I have you write that down for me?"

"I'm being serious!"

Sora laughed happily, "I know you are, Riku. And I appreciate it, I really do!" He really was happy, his eyes sparkling as he leaned in to give Riku a kiss and then two more. "Where did this come from all of a sudden?"

"I just hate seeing you unhappy, I suppose," Riku admitted as he returned the soft kisses. "You shine so brightly, Sora. You shouldn't feel like you have to hide who you are."

"Who I am?" Sora blinked.

"You're a hero, Sora," Riku smiled. "Not just that, you're an amazing friend who's loved by so many people. It's not like you to feel like a duck out of water."

"We've been through so much, Riku," the brunette said quietly. "I've changed."

"We ALL have changed, Sora," the elder teen corrected. "But it's up to us to decide whether or not we've changed for the better. You've become so strong, even after you've been through Hell and back multiple times and you still look damn good afterwards." He paused as Sora laughed. "You're still allowed to keep your secrets, obviously, but you can let others in again. You shouldn't have to feel afraid. You should be proud."

"Riku..." Sora swallowed hard before leaning back in to give Riku another long kiss, his heart fluttering happily in his chest. When he pulled away, the warm, fond gaze Riku continued to give him made his heart skip another beat. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Sora," Riku tilted his head slightly as he continued to smile. The sun behind Sora reflecting on the water made him a sparkling, glowing vision in his eyes. "You're my light."

"And you are mine," Sora toothily grinned as he leaned in for another kiss. "You're always lighting my way."

After their swim, the two took a nap on the beach, holding hands as the sun dried their bodies. When they awoke they decided to walk around town for a bit and grab some ingredients for dinner. Riku also said he wanted to grab some ingredients for Monday. Even though they were in town, Riku had no qualms about holding Sora's hand and Sora wasn't going to disagree. Together the two enjoyed going from stand to stand and haggling over ingredients. But the more they shopped, the more suspicious Sora became of Riku's ingredient choices.

"You're not seriously making a sandwich, are you?" Sora asked.

"What's wrong with sandwiches?" Riku retorted.

"Nothing, but...you seriously think you're going to beat me with a sandwich?" the brunette asked.

"No, I'm going to defeat your FOOD with a sandwich. You, I'll beat with something else," the silverette grinned slyly.

"RIKU!!!" Sora shouted with fists clenched in embarrassment, startling passerby.

"SORA!!!" Riku scolded the other's volume even though he shouted just as loudly.

"Sora! Riku!" a familiar nasally voice shouted from down the street.

"Tidus?" they both turned towards the blonde who ran to catch up to them.

"Hey there!" the blonde greeted. "I was just about to call you, Sora. Did you ask him yet?"

"Ask who what now?" Sora asked.

"Awwww, come on, man!" Tidus whined.

"What's this about?" Riku asked impatiently.

Sora took a moment to think, squinting as he searched his memory. "Oh yeeeeeeeeeah!" He then turned to look at Riku, "Look, I know this is sudden, but Kairi, Tidus, and I have a group project we need to work on! We were wondering if we could study at your place since you have the most room?"

"Group project?" Riku paused and then he too also remembered something. "I...guess that could work out," he considered thoughtfully. "I have a project I need to work with Wakka on, too. If he's there too, he can make sure Tidus behaves."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tidus stomped his foot angrily.

"Nothing," Riku smirked. "Fine, when's this happening?"

"I guess tomorrow," Sora tilted his head as he smiled sheepishly. "I'll bring the snacks, I promise!"

"Alright," the silverette sighed.

"Yes!" Tidus hopped up and down. "We won't be a bother, I promise!"

"Just don't make me regret it," Riku huffed. "We need to get going. We'll see you later."

"Right! See ya, guys! And thanks again!" Tidus waved as the two walked off but as they walked through the crowd, he saw the two clasp hands before they disappeared from sight. "Huh...I see those two are still as close as ever."

The couple played video games at Sora's house well into the late afternoon hours until it was almost time for Sora's parents to come home, so Riku decided now was the polite time to take his leave. Not ready to say good-bye yet, Sora walked him home, hand clasped in Riku's the entire way and unable to keep the smile off of his face. But even when they arrived at Riku's home the elder teen didn't look like he was ready to separate yet.

"Do you...want to come in? Just for a little while?" Riku asked hesitantly.

How could Sora refuse? "Sure!" he grinned as he let Riku lead him inside by his hand.

After Riku put his ingredients in the fridge, he led Sora to the living room and guided him to the couch where he gently pulled the brunette on top of him and held him close. The brunette was more than happy to oblige, but he was confused to say the least. Riku just seemed so sad.

"Riku?"

"Just stay, please. For a little longer?"

"Okay."

* * * * * * * * *

When Monday rolled around, the two teens felt a little silly carrying three lunches with them on the way to Kairi's house but were no doubt eager to see whose lunch would be the most impressive. At the gate in front of her house, they hurried to swap lunches so that they each carried two.

"Come to think of it, why did I make myself lunch? We could've each just made two lunches and only Kairi would've had to eat two!" Riku pointed out.

"Well we still have Judo! We're going to be starving!" Sora pointed out.

"That's true, I guess," the elder teen chuckled.

"Oh you two," Kairi laughed.

"Hey, you three! Good morning!" Wakka called from down the street with Tidus not too far behind.

"Good morning!" Riku greeted.

"You all set for studying today, Riku?" Wakka asked. "Tidus told me you were generous enough to let us come over, ya?"

"Absolutely," Riku grinned though it was clearly a strained one as he eyed the bouncy teen beside Wakka.

"Haha! I'll make sure he stays off the carpet!" Wakka laughed while playfully punching Riku in the arm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tidus asked. "I'll take my shoes off! I know how to do _that_ much!"

The group laughed heartily, but Sora was slow to join in because he didn't quite get the joke either. The late laugh brought Riku's attention back to Sora where he noticed a weird bunching on his front.

"Sora, your buttons are messed up," Riku pointed out as he reached over to correct them.

"Huh?" Sora glanced down as Riku was already correcting the top three buttons on his shirt. "Sorry, I guess I was in such a hurry this morning making lunch I missed one."

"Oh Sora," Kairi chuckled as she watched the two.

The other two teens just stared a little. Tidus scratched his head and Wakka had a tiny little grin. After Riku fixed Sora's tie as well, they resumed their walk to school. Behind the trio, Tidus muttered to Wakka, "Something seem different about those two?"

"Ya?" Wakka asked quietly in response. "I don't think so. If anything, they look just as close as they used to be. Don't you remember, ya? Before they got so competitive?"

"I only remember them being competitive...but now that you mention it..."

"Don't worry about it, ya?" Wakka chuckled, playfully shoving Tidus aside. "Focus on where you're walking."

* * * * * *

After gym class, everybody was adjourned for lunch and sure enough the trio were starving. All niceties were practically thrown out the window as they peeled open their bento boxes, the only thing they agreed upon first was that Sora's would go first. Right off the bat, he blew them all away with--

"QUAIL, SORA???" Riku exclaimed as he found the tiny stuffed bird lying on a bed of rice and vegetables inside the tall bento box.

"WOW!" Kairi exclaimed.

"But of course!" Sora snickered smugly. "I told you I wasn't going to go down without a fight!"

"How are we supposed to eat this with chopsticks?" Riku asked.

Sora's smile fell, "Well, I guess as far as portability goes...I failed in that department. But nobody said that was a requirement!"

"It's a LUNCH BOX, Sora!" Kairi laughed. "I was expecting one of those cute lunches like you made for Riku!"

"I guess...but you can't say you're disappointed, right?" Sora asked as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"No, I guess not," Kairi laughed.

The stuffed quail wrapped in bacon was tender enough that it did fall apart enough to be eaten with chopsticks and needless to say, it tasted fantastic. The savory bird on top of the sweetly seasoned rice was a real treat but halfway through, Kairi had to stop so that she'd have room to try Riku's.

When they opened Riku's next, Sora wasn't surprised to see there were sandwiches, but he was definitely floored by how beautiful they looked! Riku had made two sandwiches cut into into pristine triangles. One was a colorful turkey club sandwich and the other was a fruit sandwich with whipped cream, bananas, and strawberries, whose cross section was sliced so perfectly that it looked like a slice of cake!

"Riku! These are gorgeous!" Kairi exclaimed, eyes sparkling as she picked up the perfectly toasted turkey club.

"You made a fruit sandwich too?" Sora exclaimed, also impressed, though he also felt a bit of pink in his cheeks when he saw the strawberries. "No fair! You made a dessert, too!"

"You could've made a dessert!" Riku pointed out cheekily.

Sora grumbled as he took a bite of the fruit sandwich first. It tasted amazing and the whipped cream definitely tasted homemade. "Did you whip this yourself?"

"Sure did," the elder teen grinned proudly. "So, what do you think, Kairi?"

Kairi munched happily on the two sandwiches, one in each hand. "Riku won!" she said without hesitation.

"WHAAAAAAAAA!?" Sora asked. "BUT!!"

"You made a DINNER, Sora, not a lunch!" Kairi laughed.

"That's true, I guess," Sora had to laugh. "You really did make an amazing lunch, Riku!"

"Thanks, Sora. Your quail was delicious. But now I want a nap."

"Me too!" groaned Kairi. "Oh, we never decided on a prize, did we?"

"Well I figured we were mostly doing this to make up for our prank the other day," Sora chuckled.

"Oh you're not getting out of it that easily!" the redhead laughed while Riku smiled helplessly. "I guess I'll forgive Riku since he won. But Sora, I think you owe all of us ice cream for losing!"

"Whaaaaaat??" Sora's smile fell. "Fiiiiiiiiiiine, Freezy Timmy's on the way to Riku's then?"

"Sounds good to me!" Riku grinned.

"Yes!" Kairi cheered!

* * * *

The group plus Wakka and Tidus met at the gate after school and stopped by Freezy Timmy's on the way home. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were still all pretty much comatose after having such a heavy lunch so they had Sora buy them popsicles instead of ice cream. Kairi picked pink lemonade, Riku picked green apple, and Sora picked the mystery flavor. On the way to Riku's place, Sora made a noise of disgust as he practically deep-throated the popsicle from sheer greediness only to find that he didn't like the mystery flavor.

"What is it?" Riku asked.

"It's minty but also lime? Maybe even coconut in there too?" Sora stuck his tongue out.

"Sounds like a mixed drink, ya!" Wakka laughed. "I think that's a flavor meant for adults."

Sora sucked on the end of it, hoping that the flavor would get better but the mint was still throwing him off. Riku snickered at the face and offered him his popsicle instead. "Wanna trade?"

The brunette looked up hopefully, "You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead. I don't mind mint," Riku shrugged as he offered Sora his popsicle and the two traded without further debate.

"Yours tastes much better!" Sora praised.

"Well if you're going to be picky, you shouldn't pick the mystery flavor," Riku called him out as he sucked on Sora's popsicle.

"EW, YOU TWO!" Tidus suddenly exclaimed after watching the whole exchange. "Sora had his mouth all over that! Isn't that disgusting?"

"Sora isn't disgusting!" Riku glared.

"Yeah, but...that's like a step away from kissing!"

"No way! Kissing is way different!" Sora retorted nonchalantly as he bit into his new slightly-already-consumed popsicle.

"How would you know!?" Tidus asked.

"I just do, okay?" Sora winked at Tidus as he watched the other's face getting red.

"Simmer down, you two!" Wakka chortled. "It's just a popsicle!"

"A very tasty popsicle," Riku grinned as he winked down at Sora, making Kairi groan as she bit into her own.

"You two never change," the redhead giggled.

As Tidus bit into his own orange-flavored popsicle, he recalled something similar that happened back at the playground when they were really little. Sora and Riku have exchanged candies in the same manner when Sora got a peppermint flavored one and Riku got melon. He remembered being just as taken aback as he watched the two spit the candies out into their hands and traded. To this day, he's _never_ seen any other friends do that. Maybe those two are just that close that it really doesn't matter to them? "Still think it's weird, though," Tidus muttered out loud only to earn a subtle side shove from Wakka.

At Riku's place, they all settled around the large kitchen table and got to work. The three younger teens had a research project and were using their phones to search the internet while they wrote while Kairi double-checked everything with their books. Meanwhile, Riku and Wakka were dealing with an economics paper that involved chart mapping. Wakka was all about drawing out the graphs, but Riku was the one stuck double-checking the data since Wakka admitted he wasn't so good with numbers. Meanwhile, Sora was totally being lazy by having the gummi phone propped up on the table while he asked Tron to help him search the internet.

"Tron, can you search for the farmers' almanacs written on the Destiny Islands for the past twenty years for me, please?" Sora asked.

"Certainly! Scanning your local library's databases now," Tron replied.

"Sora, that's cheating!" Kairi scolded.

"No, it's not! This is so we don't have to walk to the library ourselves! We still need to look for what we want!" the brunette protested.

"I see nothing wrong with that," Tidus agreed, making Kairi sigh.

"Why am I working with you two again?"

"Cuz Selphie ditched you?" Sora grinned. "And because you looooooove me so much!" he teased, leaning over to hug her waist and nuzzle her arm playfully.

"GET OFF OF ME, SORA!" Kairi laughed as she shoved him off. "No amount of kissing up is going to convince me to let you keep asking Tron to do your work for you!"

"Aw, come on, Kairi!" Sora huffed.

"Don't worry, Kairi! I'll make sure he stays in line," Tron chuckled.

"Why is your phone so smart?" Tidus asked. "And where can I get one?"

"You can't," Sora, Kairi, and Riku casually said in unison.

"Then you should let me borrow it sometime!" Tidus teased.

"Negative," Tron answered for him, earning a snort from the group.

Kairi glanced over at Sora's paper and saw he had been doodling on the edges of his paper instead of writing everything down that he was supposed to and decided now was a great time to tease him. "Hey, Tron, play Sora's heart station~"

Riku's head snapped up, "No, Tron. We're studying."

"Quit bossing Tron around!" Sora scolded. "Sorry, Tron. Thanks for your help. We'll take it from here."

Tidus stared at Sora with concern, "Why are you apologizing to your phone?"

"He's my friend!" the brunette retaliated with offense on Tron's behalf.

"Okaaaaaaaaaay, um...Riku, where's your bathroom?" Tidus asked.

"Use the one upstairs. The one downstairs is being renovated," Riku said without even looking up from his paper, too deep in thought to pay Tidus much more mind. "It's at the end of the hall."

"Right!" Tidus stood up and went on his merry way through the large house, or large compared to what he's used to anyway. He spotted the bathroom at the end of the hall like Riku had instructed but as he walked through, he noticed one door cracked open which he assumed was Riku's room. Unable to hold back his curiosity, he peered inside, a lone picture frame on the bedside table immediately catching his attention. "Oooh~ wonder if it's a girl~" Tidus snickered as he tip-toed inside the otherwise neatly-kept room. But upon investigation, he was almost disappointed to see it was a picture of Riku and Sora but then his eyes widened with fascination as the picture moved. "NO WAY!"

The group downstairs looked up as they heard Tidus exclaim, each exchanging looks of confusion as they heard Tidus come barreling downstairs with Sora's gifted picture frame clutched in his hands. Riku's eyes immediately darkened and he stood up while Sora's face flushed scarlet!

"HOW DOES THIS PICTURE MOVE!?" Tidus asked, immediately casting an awkward silence across the room. He was pointing to the photo in the frame, but he doesn't seem to realize what's being displayed on it as he showed it to the group.

All stared flabbergasted silence as the pictured couple exchange a kiss and shy smiles over and over again on a loop before Riku finally stomped over and carefully snatched the picture from Tidus. "HOW ARE YOU STILL _ALIVE_!?"

Wakka fought hard to hold back his laughter as Riku implied that Tidus was too stupid to function, but finally he managed to scold the teen, "You shouldn't be snooping, ya?"

"I wasn't snooping! I saw it on the way to the bathroom!" Tidus protested but as he turned to apologize to Riku, he noticed at long last that Riku and Sora weren't just hugging, they were KISSING in the photograph. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaait..." Riku took a step back and hid the precious photograph protectively but the damage had already been done. He knew Sora and Riku were close, but KISSING close? Everybody continued to stare in concerned silence as they watched the gears slowly grind in Tidus's head, as if afraid he was going to hurt himself. "Sooooo...are you two kissing...as friends?"

Unable to contain herself anymore, Kairi burst out laughing, clutching her sides as Riku's cheeks turned pink and he simply walked away to put the picture back in his room. Sora had his face in his hands and Wakka was WHEEZING as he tried to control himself as he slapped a palm against his face out of embarrassment for Tidus.

"Oh yes, THE BESTEST OF FRIENDS!" Kairi cackled.

"Kairiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Sora groaned, but he too was smiling between his fingers despite himself.

"Do you kiss your friends like that, mon?" Wakka asked Tidus.

"No..." the blonde answered quietly.

Riku had returned and took a moment to bonk Tidus on the top of the head before returning to the table. Tidus rubbed the top of his head with a whine, but he knew he deserved it. "I'm sorry, Riku!"

The elder teen just turned his head to the side in a huff, not willing to give the dumb blonde the time of day anymore.

Wakka grinned at the pair, "Congrats, you two!" 

Sora and Riku just say "thanks" without even a pause before both their eyes widen in the realization that they've been outed.

Tidus practically flails as he asks, "WAIT, so you two ARE a thing!?"

Finally, Sora just loses it and slams his hands on the table, nearly knocking his own phone off its stand, "YES! Dude, you are THICK!"

Riku snorts, as Sora really had no room to talk but Kairi finally calms down enough to ask, "Don't tell anyone, okay? They don't want the attention!"

Suddenly, Wakka breaks into a wider grin at Riku, "Okay, fine, we won't tell. As long as you two join the blitzball team!"

Sora whipped his head around to look at Wakka, "But we already--"

"DEAL!" Riku interrupts! "We'll join the blitzball team. But not a word from either of you about this."

"You got it, mon!" Wakka chortled as he pulled Riku into a one-armed head lock and started ruffling his hair. "We'll make you two blitzball champions!"

"LET ME GO!" Riku flailed. "WAKKA!!"

Sora and Kairi laughed as the two struggled but Tidus still had a dumbfounded look on his face as he continued glancing between Sora and Riku. "I still don't get it."


	24. Sweets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ven is made of cake.

Ventus had gotten restless in the Land of Departure and the sweets were getting out of control. Aqua had been as patient as she possibly could be, but Terra was on his last nerve, even when Ventus started incorporating nuts into his recipes.

"Ven, we love you, but this has got to stop!" Aqua exclaimed as she found him in the kitchen once again. "You're going to make yourself sick!"

"You don't like them, Aqua?" the blonde asked with the biggest puppy dog eyes he could muster.

"When I suggested baking, I meant in moderation! There aren't even enough people to eat all of these!" she sighed with exasperation as she pointed to all the cases full of cookies, macarons, and cake. "Wouldn't you like to try making something else?"

"I liked the meat pies you made," Terra suggested.

"Yeah, but...meat isn't sweet," Ven pouted.

"It can be!" Aqua encouraged. "Like pork!"

"But what if you get tired of meat pies too?" Ven whined. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Maybe it's time to get out of the kitchen and find a different hobby to master?" Aqua suggested kindly. "In the meantime, how about you go visit some friends? Take what you baked with you. I'm sure they'd love it! Maybe you'll find some inspiration on the way!"

"You mean go out? By myself?" Ven's eyes widened.

"Is that okay?" Terra asked. "We can go with you if you want?"

"No, that's okay. I think that's a great idea!" Ven smiled broadly. "I'll be back before sunset!"

After packing a large portion of sweets into cardboard boxes, Ven went on a mini world tour visiting all of his friends and gifting them the sweets he had spent so much time crafting. Yen Sid was very happy and even asked him to stay for tea so they could enjoy the colorful macarons together. King Mickey wasn't around but he was very happy to catch up with Queen Minnie and chat with Daisy. He even visited the friends he made in Radiant Garden. After that, he visited Lea and Isa in Twilight Town and so on and so forth. By late afternoon he had more sweets than even he could stand and there was only one box of confections left. "These are for Sora!" he grinned to himself as he made his way for the Destiny Islands on his glider.

He landed out of sight on one of the beaches, but he was a little disoriented. He's only ever been on the play island before and couldn't remember where Sora or Riku's houses were. "I haven't been separated from Sora's heart THAT long, you'd think I'd remember a thing or two about where he lives," Ven grumbled to himself. As he took a few steps out of the brush that he had hid himself in when he landed, he suddenly felt an ache in his stomach. "Maybe I did eat too much after all," he grimaced as he politely found a tree to be sick behind. He wished this were just a one-off occurence but he's found himself to be sick quite often these days. "Maybe Aqua's right after all," he frowned as he wiped the black stuff from his mouth and quickly turned away from the pile of sick before he makes himself vomit again. "Or maybe I just need to stop making chocolate cake," he mused as he climbed down the sand dune. "Doesn't help that it's so hot here too!" the blonde groaned as he slipped off a few layers, including the armored parts of his clothing and hid them away so he was just in his cargo pants, black crop top, and outer white shirt that he kept hanging off his shoulders so that it hung around his elbows. With the box of sweets clutched in his hands, he made his way towards the town and followed the sidewalk, spying the school building in the distance. "Looks like as good a place to go as any!" he smiled cheerfully.

As Ventus wandered towards the school, he noticed he was getting strange looks from passerby and couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was all about. "Do I stick out too much?" he wondered. But looking around, everybody seemed to be wearing all sorts of different clothes so he wasn't sure what made him stick out so much. He tried to not let it bother him as he approached the school only to find that the gates were still locked. "Guess school's not over yet," he shrugged and turned away to find somewhere to chill only to be yelled at by somebody from the other side of the gate.

"You there!" a chubby man with slicked back hair and dressed in a green track suit came running. "Why aren't you in class? You playing hooky?"

"Me, sir?" Ventus pointed at himself. "N-no, I don't go to school here!"

"Then stay away, you hooligan! We don't need your kind around here!"

"My kind?" Ven repeated with a scoff. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"A drop-out!" the man sneered.

"Drop-out?" the blonde repeated again before laughing. "Sir, I don't go to school because I'm too old!"

"You expect me to believe you're over 18? I wasn't born yesterday, kid! Now get lost before I call your parents!"

"But I don't have any--URGH! Never mind!" Ven waved him off as he turned to leave only for the bell to ring and the gate to open. When it did, Ven decided to stand there patiently, but the gym teacher wasn't having it.

"I said get out of here, kid!" the teacher scolded.

"I'm waiting for a friend," Ven stated firmly. "It's not like I'm trespassing. I'm on the sidewalk!"

As if right on cue, Sora, Riku, and Kairi exited the building to see the familiar blonde standing by the gate and Sora hurried over, "VEN?"

"Hey, Sora!" Ven waved cheerfully, earning a scowl from the teacher.

"Sora! I should've known!" the gym teacher snarled as Sora ran over to greet his friend. "Of course you'd be hanging out with this kind of trash."

"TRASH!?" Sora asked. "He's my friend!"

"Is there a problem, sensei?" Kairi asked as she caught up to Sora with Riku right behind her.

"I just think you three should be careful about who you associate yourselves with. It's a teacher's duty to look out for their students after all," the teacher said in a sweet tone that nearly made Riku gag.

Before anybody could even retort, a group of girls nearby squealed as they ran over, practically swooning as they stood behind Sora. "Do you know him, Sora? Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

"Oh...right," Sora grinned with mild embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. "This is my friend, Ventus."

"Hi there. Call me Ven," the blond smiled cheerfully, earning another squeal from the girls.

"ENOUGH!" the gym teacher shouted. "All of you get moving before I call your parents."

The girls whined as they left and Sora grabbed Ven's hand to lead him away while the gym teacher was distracted with the other students. "Come on, we're crowding the gate." Once the group were a fair distance away, Sora got a good look at Ventus and eyed him up and down, his face getting redder by the minute as he noticed Ven's glistening abs beneath his crop top. "Wh-what are you doing here, Ven?"

Kairi was also blushing, but she nodded as she had the same question as well. "Yeah...what _are_ you doing here?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Ven rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with one hand while he offered Sora the box of confectionaries by the string with the other. "Well, Aqua suggested I get out for a bit, so I thought I'd visit you guys."

"She asked you to get rid of all the sweets, huh?" Riku grinned knowingly.

"How'd you guess?" Ven laughed.

"Aw, that's so nice of you, Ven!" Sora smiled happily as he accepted the gift. "Let's all go to my place!"

"Is that okay?" Ven asked. "I don't want to impose!"

"Of course it's okay! Come on, let's go before that jerk bothers us again," Sora nodded back towards the gate where they could still hear the gym teacher giving others a hard time.

As the four made their way to Sora's place, they were completely unaware of a tiny purple creature with red eyes watching them from the trees. From afar, the little Flood observed the group of friends as they chattered away, mostly going on and on about the gym teacher who was apparently the subject of much scorn from the trio. As it dashed from hiding place to hiding place, people were too busy to pay the dark creature much mind as they went about their own way, assuming the creature they saw out of the corner of their eye to be a darting raven or even maybe a stray feline. The small creature stayed concealed in this fashion until they reached Sora's home where it decided to scale the back of the house and slip in through a window that was cracked open to allow the breeze to come in. From there it slithered across the cool floors until it came across what looked like a child's bedroom and hid inside under the bed to listen to the cheery conversation happening on the level below.

The teens had excused themselves into Sora's home only to be greeted by Sora's mother who had only half a shift that day. "Welcome home! Oh! And you brought Roxas with you!"

Sora laughed, "I'm sorry, mom. This here is Ventus! Ventus, this is my mom!"

"It's very nice to meet you!" Ven greeted. "Please call me Ven!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Ven!" Sora's mother greeted him warmly. "I'm sorry for the confusion. It's just you look so much like Sora's other friend Roxas!"

"They're cousins!" Kairi quickly jumped in.

"Oh, that explains it!" his mother chuckled. "Well do come in, there's plenty of room at the table."

Sora's mother made tea and joined the group as they all enjoyed the cookies and macarons that Ventus had brought.

"I'm so happy to see that you boys have made so many good friends while you were away," Sora's mom said happily. "It makes me feel so much better knowing that you weren't all alone."

"Aw, mom, where did that come from?" Sora smiled.

"That's so nice of you to say!" Ven blushed happily.

"You're welcome to visit any time, Ven!" the woman smiled back. "You're just adorable!"

"Aw shucks!" Ven giggled.

"Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Sora laughed.

"Oh shush, you," she chuckled while pinching Sora's cheek. "I'm your mother, it's my job to embarrass you!"

"I guess that's true," the brunette snickered even as she tugged on his cheek.

As the clock chimed the next hour, Ventus decided now was the time to take his leave. "Thank you for the tea, everybody. But I better get going. I promised I'd be back home by sunset," he explained as he politely bowed to Sora's mother.

"It was my pleasure, Ven. Don't be a stranger, dear!"

"Thank you, ma'am!" the blonde smiled happily.

Sora quickly got up, "Here, I'll walk you out!"

"I should get going, too!" Kairi agreed. "I have to make dinner. We'll all see you off, Ven!"

Once outside, Kairi thanked Ven again for the sweets and they all exchanged hugs before she left. "Text me that macaron recipe, okay?"

"Definitely!" Ven laughed. "I'll do that as soon as I get home."

As soon as she left, Riku fist-bumped Ven next. "We'll be seeing you guys this weekend," he promised.

"Right! Looking forward to it!" Ven smiled as he and Sora waved him off. Now it was just the two of them.

"Want me to walk you to the beach?" Sora asked.

"I'd like that," the blonde nodded and the two walked side by side as they made their way to a more private area for Ven to take off from. "Your mom seems really nice. You're just like her."

"Hehe, yeah, she's great," Sora agreed. "I was so surprised you came to visit, Ven!"

"Yeah, well, things have been a little funny lately. I guess I've been more restless than usual, you could say. How about you, Sora?"

"Me?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, how have you been? Everything been okay? Have you gotten any more practice in?"

Sora shook his head. "There aren't a lot of places to practice that stuff around here without getting caught, not without a fair amount of walking, anyway. But what about you, Ven? If you're making a lot of sweets, it's not just because you're restless, right?"

Ven bit his lower lip and stared down at his feet but looked up again when Sora held his hand in concern, his blue eyes boring into his own in a silent question before Ven sighed and finally gave in. "I haven't been myself. I just feel...I don't even know how to describe it. I feel like something bad's about to happen and there are gaps in my memory that I just can't shake off. I'm kind of used to not remembering things, but nothing like this. I just don't know what to make of it. It's almost like I've been blacking out or something but if I am, nobody around me seems to be noticing. It just seems to happen whenever I'm alone."

Sora's eyes widened with concern as he listened to his friend, "What could that mean?"

"I don't know," Ven shook his head as he squeezed Sora's hand.

"Have you tried talking to Terra and Aqua about it?"

"I just don't know how to tell them. They're all dealing with their own problems too. I don't want to add on another thing."

"Ven, they're your family! They care about you. If anything I'm sure they've already noticed something's wrong. They're just waiting for you to tell them. Try talking to them. I'm sure they'll have advice."

"Yeah, maybe," Ven sighed.

"Come on, Ven. You can do it," Sora nudged him affectionately. "If you're blacking out, that's serious. If anything, you'll at least know you're not hurting yourself if Aqua and Terra are looking out for you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ven nodded. "Thank you, Sora."

"Don't mention it."

"Now let's get back to you," Ven grinned.

"Me again?" Sora asked.

"Yes, you! You've been holding back, I can tell!"

"What is it with all of you? Am I really that transparent?" the brunette whined with dismay.

"Come on, this is me we're talking about!" Ven laughed. "A part of your heart is still inside mine. It'd be weird if I _didn't_ notice anything, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Sora conceded, though he still had a pout on his face as he gave in. "I guess I'm tired. I think Riku's telling me it's because I'm hiding from everybody and I know he's right. But it's hard not to. For once I just...I don't know if I want to let anybody else in."

"Sora..."

"My heart was used to hurt people, Ven. What do I do if it happens again?" he asked just as they reached the beach, gripping both of Ven's hands as tried to read the other's face. "It hurt, didn't it? I don't want anybody else to feel my pain like that again!"

Ven pulled Sora into a hug and held him tightly, letting the brunette bury his face into his chest as he squeezed Ven just as tightly as if hugging out his own frustrations. "Your heart doesn't hurt others, Sora. You make everybody around you so happy. It was the Master of Masters that hurt us, not you!"

"But he used me to do it!" Sora cried out in frustration. "All of my friends were put in danger! So many worlds were put in jeopardy because of me!"

"But he didn't succeed, did he?" Ven asked, pulling away and gripping Sora by the shoulders to look into his eyes. "Sora, we're all stronger BECAUSE of you. Yes, we hurt for a moment, but that one moment strengthened our resolve! We stood up and rallied, didn't we? We didn't run away. Not once did we blame you. In the end, it was your bond with Riku and his love for you that saved us from his torment. Your heart is your greatest strength, Sora. It'd be a shame to hide it away."

"Do you really think...?" Sora trembled as the blonde looked him with so much devotion it made his heart feel like it was about to explode.

"I know so, Sora," Ven smiled softly. "I have a feeling that once you start letting people in again, you'll feel so much happier. After all, Sora, that's what you do. That's who you are."

Sora swallowed hard, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Thank you, Ven. I'll try."

"I know you'll do great!" the blonde cheered as he leaned forward to kiss Sora on the cheek. "Next time I see you, I expect a brighter smile, okay?"

"Okay!" Sora blushed. "You be careful on the way home, okay?"

"You got it," Ven winked before he re-equipped his armor and summoned his keyblade glider. "See you later, Sora!"

"See you, Ven!" Sora waved good-bye as the blonde took off and disappeared into the sky.


	25. Flood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little flood has a not so little request.

Beneath Sora's bed, the little flood laid in wait. It curled into itself as it waited for Sora to return. _What's taking that idiot so long? How long does it take to take out the trash?_ It thought to itself as it figured that Sora and Ventus were probably still outside yucking it up. All the while, a female voice he wasn't familiar with greeted another older male's voice as someone else seems to have entered the household. The flood had no interest in these two, but he was curious as to why Sora lived with them, as it assumed Sora would be living with his friends like Ventus lived with Aqua and Terra, but Riku and Kairi had already left.

The flood could tell the sun was already setting as the light streaming in from the window grew dimmer. When the door downstairs opened again, he heard Sora say, "I'm home!" and scuttled in a circle with impatience. _Finally!_

He expected Sora to come straight upstairs. After all, this is his room, isn't it? But much to his disappointment and impatience, that turned out not to be the case. As time passed, he heard the three occupants of the household gather together downstairs. He could overhear Sora asking the owner of the older male voice something about being an apprentice. He heard the female voice ask about things that didn't concern him so he paid her no mind. He listened as both asked about school and he grinned when he heard Sora didn't sound too pleased with the line of questioning.

 _So this school thing causes you distress, does it?_ The flood purred with satisfaction, making a note to follow him to this "school" place the first chance he gets. He assumes it must be that large building he followed Ven to before and remembered how there were so many places to hide. _A perfect place to disappear and wait._

There were still signs of activity going on downstairs so the flood decided it was tired of waiting under the bed and crawled out from underneath, immediately taking the form of Vanitas at long last. Almost immediately he regretted this decision as it felt very warm in this room compared to the cool floor he had been lying on for the past couple of hours. "How can he stand living here?" he hissed to himself as he flipped back his helmet. Over on one side of the room, he noticed a messy wardrobe with clothes already spilling out of it and quietly walked over to check it out. He made a look of disgust as he looked over all the colorful clothes but his eyes fell on a couple of things that look like they've never been worn before. "I suppose these will have to do."

With one last glance at the closed door, he quickly changed into the black short-sleeved button up shirt he found along with a pair of fitted black jeans. The jeans were a snug fit, but it already felt much cooler than the jump suit he was wearing previously which he had dismissed with a wave of his hand. In what little light was left in the room, he looked down at his bare hands to see they were very pale and that he had black fingernails. But as he flexed his hands, he found he enjoyed the freedom of not squeezing around uncomfortable gloves as he had done for his entire life. Even when he was wearing those awful black robes he wore it over his suit and helmet in that forsaken desert wasteland. It was a small thing but he decided he liked it.

"Who are you?"

Vanitas stiffened as he heard Sora's voice behind him. The brunette managed to sneak up on him! With a snarl, he disappeared in an orb of darkness and reappeared before Sora to pin him to the door he just closed behind him.

"V-Vanitas!?" Sora gasped as he stared into the other's yellow eyes. "What are you doing here?" he whispered.

"Sora? Everything okay?" Sora's mom asked as she heard Sora's body get slammed against the door.

"It's fine, mom! I just tripped!" Sora shouted back.

"Who's that?" Vanitas snarled.

"That's my mother," Sora whispered.

"Your mother?" the raven-haired teen asked, unfamiliar with that term. He knows he's heard it somewhere but he's never met one.

"Yes. Now what do you want?" the brunette asked impatiently. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious, Sora? I've escaped and now I've come for _you_ ," he smirked darkly.

"Escaped from what?" Sora asked just as they heard more footsteps out in the hall. "And are those my clothes?"

"Silence, or I'll take my anger out on your _mother_ next!" he threatened.

Sora's face grew dark and he gripped Vanitas's wrist to pry him off with strength that surprised the dark being. "You'll do no such thing. If you'll tell me what you want, I'll listen." He then proceeded to drag Vanitas over to the window and pointed at an island in the distance. "Give me ten minutes and I'll meet you on that island. We'll settle this there."

"Fine," Vanitas conceded, wrenching his hand free from Sora's grip. "Ten minutes, or I'll come back and destroy you and everybody here."

"Just go," Sora frowned. "I'll be right behind you."

The being snarled at being told what to do before transforming into a flood and skittering away to dash for the island he was directed to.

As he watched Vanitas disappear, Sora grumbled about his stolen clothes as he made sure to lock his bedroom door. _Now I have to buy new clothes for the birthday party._ "I'm going to bed, mom!"

"Good night, dear!" he listened for his mom to call back before hurrying to ditch his school uniform and change into his combat gear before hurrying to the play island. When he arrived, Vanitas was waiting for him on a set of stone stairs.

"Took you long enough," the dark being greeted.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Sora replied sarcastically. "You now have my undivided attention."

Vanitas crossed his arms and decided to skip right to the chase. "Something's inside Ventus."

Sora's eyebrows raised with concern, "Is that why he's been blacking out?"

"Oh, so he's noticed? Maybe he's not completely hopeless after all~" Vanitas sneered as if he didn't actually believe that for a second. "There's a powerful darkness inside of him. It's been there for a very long time. Little by little it's forced me to separate from Ventus so that it may use me for its own purposes. But I don't want any part of that! It's bad enough that I'm here, but if I must exist, I want to be left alone! I don't want to be controlled again! Never again! So I left Ventus on my own terms."

"You have that right to decide that for yourself. But what does that have to do with me?" Sora asked cautiously as Vanitas took steps to approach him.

"I'm still not complete. I need you to make that happen."

"What can I do?" the brunette asked as Vanitas stood before him.

"You're too trusting," the raven-haired boy sneered as he peered into Sora's unwavering blue gaze, so much like Ventus.

"You came to me. I said I'll listen," Sora reaffirmed. He hadn't said he agreed to doing anything yet.

"You already know what I need. Your fear," the other elaborated with a hint of acid in his voice as he stretched an arm out for Sora.

"But I don't--"

"Just keep living your life," the yellow-eyed teen hissed as he gripped Sora's shoulder. "I know you have what I need. You be a good boy and stay quiet and I won't destroy everything you hold dear."

"...Fine."

The lookalike blinked in surprise, "Fine? That's it?"

"Yeah, if that's what you need," Sora muttered.

"I'm not asking you to pity me," Vanitas iterated with a growl.

"Fine, then I won't," the brunette said simply. "I don't have much of anything to give anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If it's fear you want, I don't have it. If anything I'm just tired," Sora admitted as he gently brushed off the hand on his shoulder.

"Tired of what?"

"Tired of all of it. I'm tired of people telling me to open up again. I know they know better, but it's because they're tired too. Emotions aren't something you can turn on and off. They linger."

"And fester."

"Right..."

Vanitas threw his head back and laughed, "Isn't that rich? The King of Hearts doesn't want to let anybody else into his kingdom!"

Sora clenched his fists defensively and stomped his foot, "What!? No, that's not it!"

"Sounds like it to me!" the other cackled as he turned to the side and bent over laughing.

"Anyway, I'm not afraid. I'm just tired," Sora crossed his arms and growled with annoyance. "If you had been here earlier, maybe, but Ventus--"

"But of course!" Vanitas whirled back around and got all up in Sora's face. "Once again Ventus gets whatever he wants!" 

Sora took a step back, but he wasn't so much scared as he was afraid that he apparently struck a nerve. "Vanitas..."

"Save it! I'm sick and tired of wittle Venty getting everything when he deserves jack shit! He's WEAK! Yet he gets everything and I get nothing! In fact, I got less than nothing! It was so NAUSEATING hearing you two BITCH in the Keyblade Graveyard. _I didn't ask for this~_ ," he mocked in a whiny voice. "Well guess what? I didn't ask for it, either! I didn't ask to be left in that wasteland for YEARS with nothing but pain and suffering! If anybody has any right to complain, IT'S ME!"

"It's not a competition, Vanitas."

"Even if it were, I'd win!"

"I'm sure you would."

"SHUT UP! I SAID I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY!"

"Then what do you want?"

"I just want it to end! I thought if we rejoined that it'd be over, but something inside that pathetic whelp wants my strength and I don't want to be controlled again! I need to be stronger! I need you to help me do it! Feed me your hate!"

"If it's hate you need, I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person. If it's negative emotions you need, you know there are others--"

"Don't you think I know that, dumbass? I've experienced them all on that forsaken rock!"

"Sorry, I just meant--"

"STOP SAYING SORRY! DAMNIT, YOU'RE PATHETIC!"

"I know."

"Stop it, just...stop it."

"Vanitas..."

"Fine, even if it's not fear, I'll take what I can get. And I'm not leaving here until I get what I need," Vanitas stated calmly before suddenly shoving Sora onto the ground and pinning him into the sand by straddling his waist.

The brunette landed with a small grunt, disgruntled about being shoved, but what did he expect? "Fine," Sora growled even as he laid compliantly. After being thrown around so much during gym class today, he was getting a little too used to being tossed and pinned like this.

"Open your mouth," Vanitas commanded as he gripped Sora's face in one hand.

"I have a boyfriend," the brunette informed him bluntly.

"Don't flatter yourself. Just be quiet and open up."

"Will it hurt?"

"Probably."

Sora frowned. Vanitas really knew how to ask for a favor, didn't he? He glared at his impatient lookalike for one more moment before sighing and opening his mouth, closing his eyes as he felt the other's cold hand move from his face down to his throat. Suddenly he felt a cold rush through his chest like he had just dove into ice cold water. He let out a gasp and nearly choked as he felt something escape his mouth. Behind his closed eyelids he saw flashes of his own memories, but not the sort of things he was expecting. In fact, he couldn't make sense of most of it or even exactly place where these memories came from, but he could feel the emotions he was going through at the time. Loneliness, pain, anxiety, worry, he could feel them surging through his heart and the cold feeling intensified until he gasped one last time and sputtered as something else was pulled from his mouth, like a small gust of wind until he was left with nothing. It just stopped.

He opened his eyes to see Vanitas with a little more color in his face from what he could make out in the dim moonlight. He felt even more tired but overall, not much different. But there was a feeling of being sifted through and a slight emptiness. Like he had exhaled every last ounce of breath he had in his body and hadn't taken another breath to fill his lungs yet. But even that began to fade away quickly, much to his relief. It felt similar to how he felt whenever he spent a weekend at the Land of Departure, but also much different. The realization made his eyes grow wide and caught Vanitas's attention right away.

"What is it?"

"Vanitas...you said there's a darkness inside Ventus. Has it done anything yet?" Sora asked.

The dark being raised an eyebrow but frowned and shook his head, "I've only been self-aware for a week or so, so I don't know." When Sora continued to stare at him, he huffed. He supposed Sora _is_ doing him a favor by making this a little easier, so he might as well give him whatever bread crumbs he can, if it'll shut him up. "But it must've done _something_ to manifest me from that idiot's heart after all this time." With that, he dismounted Sora and stood up to leave Sora to get up on his own.

Sora stood up and brushed the sand off of himself, "So...that's it?"

"I'll wait for you here. Same time tomorrow," Vanitas stated.

"Um...alright. You going to be okay?" It was a well-intentioned question but when Vanitas shot him an icy glare he put his hands up. "Fine, I get it. Tomorrow."

The next morning, Sora had actually overslept. Not enough to be late for school, but late enough that Riku had to come by _his_ place to pick him up. He tried apologizing but Riku said there was nothing to apologize for and that he was allowed to wake up at a normal time every now and then. After all, him waking up at the crack of dawn to see Riku every morning was self-imposed. Meanwhile, from the bushes, a little Flood followed the pair on their way to pick up Kairi.

As it followed behind the trio, there had been a couple of instances where the little flood was sure that Riku had caught onto his presence. Every block or so, the silver-haired teen would turn and look behind him suspiciously only to be tugged forward by Sora. _I'll need to be careful._

In the school yard, he hid amongst the trees and observed as Sora's group met another throng of female students who were all giddy about something or other. It was rather bizarre to watch as he couldn't figure out what had them all so excited. After all, they were all speaking at once. It wasn't until he heard the word "Ven" that he bristled up, his little ears standing straight up as he listened to them ask Sora about his friend and where they met and if he's coming by again. _Even here...it's disgusting how bright his light shines._

A loud bell startled him to looking up at the building. When he turned his attention back to Sora, he found they all had entered the building so he took it upon himself to slip inside as well, dodging teenage feet left and right until he made it into the ceiling tiles. From there he followed Sora's presence until he found himself above a classroom filled with other teenagers. _There are so many people here..._

Compared to the shrill squealing and laughter he heard in the school yard, he found this place preferable. Everything was quiet except for the one person talking at the head of the classroom but most of it sounded like nonsense to him. Every hour or so, another person would take the first person's place and the talking would continue, only interrupted whenever the adult would turn to write something on the blackboard. On one occasion a screen was pulled down and a projector was used to show a video clip of a snake eating a rat. He liked that one.

He found himself taking naps and when he wasn't taking naps he was incredibly BORED. Once he even slipped around to see what Riku was up to but was disappointed to see he was pretty much doing the same thing, only without a projector with snakes. He couldn't stay for too long as he could sense Riku getting restless with his presence so he scurried back to the other side of the building. When he returned to his spot above Sora's desk, he pondered if the brunette even realized that Riku could see him across the courtyard. "Probably not. He really is clueless."

Things didn't pick up until the bell rang and suddenly all the students were either digging through their bags or leaving the classroom. Sora and his friends appeared to be doing the latter so he followed after them quickly only for his hopes for a change of scenery to be dashed when they only gathered outside in the courtyard. _Better than that smelly classroom._ With a skitter and a hop he leapt from an open window and made his way into the tree that the group took refuge under and listened to their boring conversation for any tidbits he could use when he sees Sora later. Another female joined the trio and distracted Kairi for a moment and that's when Riku leaned even closer into Sora which of course really caught his attention.

"Treehouse after this?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I finished the one room. We can study in there now."

"Sounds great!"

"There's a moogle shop there now. I'm still looking for the warp point."

 _Treehouse? Sounds lame._ He was curious, though the concept seemed rather childish. He remembered seeing a room that was carved out of a tree on that silly little island that Sora told him to meet him at. Is that what they're talking about?

After school was over, Kairi had to stay back for something called writing club, not that he really cared. So Riku and Sora walked alone for a fair distance until they were far enough out of sight for Riku to summon his keyblade and activate his keyblade vehicle, which was a motorcycle, apparently. The flood shook with dismay as Sora mounted it behind Riku and the two sped off for the woods, leaving him to find some other way to catch up.

By the time he traced Sora's location, the two were nowhere to be seen, but he could hear voices coming from a small building that was in fact IN A TREE. _So it's literally a house in a tree? What if the tree falls down? Then you have no house!_ As silly as it seemed, he was still curious, however, so he climbed to the top of the tree and onto the roof where there was a small skylight that appeared to have been salvaged because it didn't look anything like the window on the outside wall. In fact, it was so small it didn't even look large enough for a small child to fit through, so what was the point? Maybe it wasn't big enough for a child, but it was enough for a little flood to peer down inside.

The inside of the treehouse looked much better than the outside. In fact, it looked like it actually did belong inside of a house. There was a small table surrounded by cushions, a large fluffy rug spread out on the floor, an air conditioning unit set up in another window, a gummi block generator, a small fridge, and a large yellow chair(?) in the far corner. It was small but cozy and bright with walls painted the color of a light blue summer sky. From where the flood was sitting, he could see school books spread out on the study table but he couldn't see Sora and Riku right away, not until he tilted his head to clearly see the other side of the room where the two were on top of each other on top of the bright yellow monstrosity on the other side of the room. _What are they doing?_

It only took him another second to observe that their shirts have been thrown to the floor and after hearing them moan each other's names, he got the picture and turned away from the window in disgust. He was just about to leave, however, when he noticed their breathy noises stop and it was followed by a strange silence before Riku started speaking again.

"I know...but not yet."

"Then when?"

"Sora, I'm sorry, I just..."

"No, it's okay, I get it."

"You like what we do now, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. That's why--"

"It won't be much longer. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Though their words were soft and sweet, Vanitas sensed something else in Sora's voice, something that made his voice higher. Next thing he heard, Sora was making an excuse about his father texting him about having time to work with him today. Riku seemed to buy it but when he asked Sora if he needed a ride back, Sora refused and said he could figure out how to get back on his own. In a flash, the brunette fled the treehouse and hopped down to the ground where he summoned his keyblade glider. Not wanting to be left behind again, the little flood jumped down and hitched a ride on the back just as Sora sped off for the ocean, taking the long way around the island in almost no time at all before landing on a beach near his home where the flood quickly ditched to hide in the brush before he was noticed. From his hiding place, he watched Sora wipe at his eyes before dismissing his keyblade and walking towards town. _I think I've seen enough for today._

He waited at the play island until dark. While there, Vanitas made short work of exploring the small spit of land and found he was drawn to a small cave with a strange wooden door. The walls and large rocks inside were covered in strange chalk-like graffiti that look like they've been drawn by children. It was here he waited until the glow of Sora's lantern greeted him at the entrance of the cave. "There you are."

The brunette said nothing, his eyes tired as he walked over and sat next to Vanitas on the sandy cave floor. Vanitas wasn't sure what to make of it, but if Sora wasn't going to talk then he wasn't going to bother with any pleasantries either. So he toppled the teen over with a quick shove and pulled him by his wrists until he was lying down so that he could mount him once again. However, this time Sora struggled a little.

"Why do I have to lay down for this?" he asked angrily.

"If you pass out while standing, I don't want you crying to me when you bash your head on a rock," Vanitas snarled as he grabbed for Sora's throat. "Now open up!"

The brunette grit his teeth for a moment but squeezed his eyes tightly closed as he reluctantly opened his mouth. Even so, Vanitas slowly applied pressure to his throat until he could hear Sora beginning to struggle for breath as he stared deep into his heart. However, he didn't have to focus too long before a fine red mist issued forth and he inhaled it greedily.

"What's this I see? Rejection?" he smirked as he took a second to let the negative emotion he just consumed sink in. He saw a brief flash of a recent memory filled with disappointment, anger, and general hurt, undoubtedly from whatever occurred this afternoon.

"I wasn't rejected! Just...turned down for now," Sora protested defensively after he caught his breath.

"Sounds like rejection to me," the doppelganger retorted as he loosened his grip. He could see Sora getting mad and he was enjoying it. "Why else would your heart be aching so badly?"

"Shut up! I'm just tired of everybody treating me like a kid!" the brunette shouted as he suddenly sat up and shoved Vanitas off of himself, sending the dark being flat on his back.

The raven-haired teen snarled and quickly got to his feet. "Well then stop acting like one!" he shouted as he brushed himself off.

"What do you know!?" Sora shouted back. But before Vanitas could even answer, he grabbed his lantern and held it up higher. The yellow-eyed teen put a hand up to shield his face from the glaring light, but Sora could see the bags under his eyes starting to fade and his hair beginning to look fuller. He clenched the lantern tighter in his fist as he turned away. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Fine," Vanitas crossed his arms and turned away, not even watching Sora leave. But as he looked down at his feet, he noticed a small plastic container lying on the ground. He recognized it as one of the boxes he's seen Sora and the others eat from during lunch. When he opened it up he was greeted with a wonderful aroma from the still-warm container. Tentatively, he reached his fingers inside and took a bite of whatever was in the box and found himself immediately scarfing it down before even looking to see what it was he was actually eating. It warmed him up inside and filled him better than what he managed to get out of Sora. As he looked down at the empty container in his hands, he decided for now this arrangement maybe wasn't such a big waste of time after all. But he couldn't let Sora get to him. If he starts going easy on him, he's never going to get the fear he needs! "He's holding back, I know he is," he growled angrily. "I'll get it out of him."

When Sora visited the cave again the next night, Vanitas sprung at him from the dark, Keyblade raised in one hand.

"Vanitas!" Sora shouted as he summoned his keyblade to defend himself. "It's me!"

"I know! Now fight back!" Vanitas roared as he lunged for Sora, who raised his keyblade to block his blows.

"Where's this coming from!? I'm not going to fight you!" the brunette shouted as he kept his stance while Vanitas's keyblade bounced off of his shield barrier repeatedly.

"You're holding back!" the teen snarled as he continued to swing his blade down, now getting extremely frustrated as he felt himself tiring quickly from the effort.

"Of course I am! I don't want to hurt you!" Sora shouted.

"RAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" the teen shouted as he dismissed his keyblade and chose to tackle Sora to the ground instead, the other's keyblade disappearing as it flew from his hand. He then straddled him just like before and reaches for his throat once again. He squeezes hard while Sora flails beneath him but he pays his struggling no mind. He's trying to get his most painful memories to surface!

"Where is it? Where is your pain? I know you were hurt! Let me see it!" he demanded.

"No! I said I don't want to hurt you!" the brunette choked out once again as he tried to pull at the hands around his throat. He managed to pry them off but when he reached up to shove Vanitas off of him, the teen on top shoved his hands into his chest to force him back down. As Sora's head hit the ground he flashed back to when he was in Arendelle. He could briefly recall Xigbar pinning him down, hands at his throat, fingers in his chest! His voice echoing through his mind as he demanded to know where his heart was hidden!

_"Where is it!? If you don't tell me...we're going after your handsome little boyfriend next!"_

_Shut up...Shut up shut up SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP!_

"JUST DIE!!!!!!" Sora screamed, practically spitting with anger as he recalled his own fury that fueled his rage form.

"There it is! That's it!" Vanitas praised wickedly as he kept Sora pinned down and gripped his chin in one hand to keep it pried open so he could consume the anger spilling forth while the other's screams echoed off the cave's walls.

But then Sora's screams and struggling begin to die down and the stream of anger slows until it comes to a complete stop, only to be replaced with something much different. Through Sora's heart, Vanitas sees a memory of Riku crying, begging for Sora to wake up. Beneath him, tears also start streaming from Sora's eyes as he sobbed quietly. It infuriates him.

"Stop it, not that!" he snarled with disgust before releasing Sora and swiftly rolling off of him. "That's enough."

Sora sat up coughing and rubbing his throat before furiously rubbing at his eyes. "What, too much for you?" he sniffled bitterly before summoning his keyblade again to heal the bruises that were no doubt about to bloom on his neck and chest. When he finished, he was surprised to not hear a retort from Vanitas and turned to see the other sitting in the far side of the cave with his knees pulled up to his chest. "Vanitas?"

"What?" he responded in a prickly tone, yellow eyes glaring at Sora in the dark.

With a sigh, Sora dismissed his keyblade and scooched so that he was closer to Vanitas, but not too close. "I know you said you've experienced the other dark emotions, but have you considered using other emotions to rebuild yourself? Like happier ones?"

Vanitas scoffed as if it was the stupidest question he's ever heard, but he answered regardless, "Pain and suffering are all I know. How can I be expected to feel anything else? It'd be like me telling you to suddenly fight with darkness."

Sora couldn't help smiling a little bit as he leaned his head back against the stone wall. "I guess I see your point. But hey, it's never too late to try."

"Forget it," Vanitas huffed. "Master Xehanort said that pain, suffering, and loneliness are what make me strongest."

"What, still letting Xehanort control you?" Sora taunted.

"That's not it! You wouldn't understand!" Vanitas shouted defensively. "Darkness is what I am! I'm not like you! I don't have a heart!"

"It's not that you're darkness, Vanitas. You may have been born from it, but it's like you said, this is all you've known. But you do have a heart! Otherwise you wouldn't be able to feel the things that you do!"

Vanitas grit his teeth angrily but before he could even snap back, a flood appears from his chest and scuttles across the ground. He growls angrily and summons his keyblade to attack it, but Sora scoops the flood away!

"Why are you attacking it? It's a piece of you, isn't it?" Sora asked in complete shock as he holds the squirming creature.

"Yes, and its pain feeds my own. It's how I get stronger," Vanitas answered impatiently.

Sora holds it protectively. "Seems counterproductive. Besides, it's kind of cute." He then looks down at he now calm flood and cuddles it against his chest, mostly because he can see it aggravating Vanitas.

The treatment to the flood was making warmth flood through the dark being's chest. He didn't know what it was but it was making him feel unnerved. "If you're going to be gross then I'll just reabsorb it. Let it go!"

"Only if you promise not to hurt it," Sora demanded.

Vanitas sighed angrily but he gave his word and Sora let the creature go. He then held his hand out and reabsorbed the flood, making it a part of himself once more. Even once the flood was free from Sora's grip, the warm feeling in his chest remained. "I think we're done here."

"Same time tomorrow?" the brunette asked.

"Yeah."

When the brunette left, there was another box left behind and the tension in Vanitas's shoulders fell, his harsh gaze softening ever so slightly as the warmth in his chest continued to linger.


	26. Black and White Birthday Bash!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas, Naminé, and Xion have a birthday party!

Time flew by really quickly on all fronts. Not only were Sora, Riku, and Kairi doing school, but they had so many other things eating up their time. Kairi was on the volleyball team and in the writing club. Riku and Sora were both not only working on the treehouse and training for blitzball tryouts, but Sora was apprenticing under his dad as well as contending with Vanitas. It was almost like having a secret pet, but less fun.

So when the time rolled around for Roxas, Naminé, and Xion's shared birthday party in Twilight Town, they were over the moon about having a break to hang out with their friends. They were told well in advance that it was going to be a simpler affair without anything too fantastical but it was also going to be a black and white-themed semi-formal party. Before the party, Sora had to make a trip to San Fransokyo again to buy some more clothes since Vanitas took what he was planning to wear and had to rethink his whole outfit. He still wasn't sure what to expect, but he liked the idea of everybody dressing nice and having a good time, so he was already sure it was going to be a great time!

Meanwhile, the birthday trio were beside themselves with excitement. When they all decided on the theme, Isa and Axel worked so hard to make it all happen, down to the very last detail. The mansion's courtyard was cleaned up so that there weren't any more broken pillars lying everywhere. The inside renovations were finished up just in the nick of time and the entire entrance area was converted into a dance floor with black and white tiles and the area at the top of the stairs turned into a stage area where Demyx had volunteered to perform the music.

"You're not going to sing with me, Roxas?" the guitarist asked all disappointed as he set up his equipment.

"It's my birthday! I'm supposed to be having fun with the others! What's the point if I'm performing at my own party?" Roxas laughed.

"Come onnnnnn, you can still sing a couple of songs, can't you?" Demyx egged on. "I mean look at you all stylish! It'd be a shame for you not to sing a little!"

"Cut it out!" the blonde gently elbowed him as his cheeks grew a little pink with embarrassment. He was wearing a black button-up shirt with white slacks and a black belt with gold buckle with his usual black and white accessories on his wrists and fingers. To top it off he was wearing a thin black and white checkered tie. It was simple but sleek and he really liked the way he looked, so he low-key appreciated the compliment. "Just keep it on the down low with the water clones!"

"I get it, I get it! They're "holograms", not water clones," he winked. "No worries here!"

"Roxas, have you seen the girls?" Axel asked as he came around the corner, double-checking everything one last time. He was dressed in all black, but the black silk shirt he was wearing had a very light hint of a leopard pattern that you could only see in the right light.

"I think they're still getting ready," Roxas chuckled. "Need help with anything?"

"No, no, you just enjoy yourself, birthday boy!" the redhead smiled as he ruffled Roxas's hair, much to the other's dismay.

"Hey, stop!" the blonde laughed as he swat Axel's hand away. "Naminé will get upset if you mess up my hair!"

"Oh, so she's the one who did it for you?" he laughed.

"Don't make fun of me! I think it looks nice!" Roxas retorted as he looked in the hall mirror to fix it. Truth be told, it wasn't much different from his normal look, just a little cleaner.

"Anybody seen Isa?" Xion called from the other side of the hall. She was already dressed up in a black knee-length dressed that frilled out at the bottom with a white tuxedo jacket paired with it that had the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a dainty white flower pin in her hair just above her left ear. In her hand she had a tie similar to Roxas's, but solid white with black stars on it instead.

"I think he's in the courtyard!" Axel called back. "You look so cute, Xion!"

"Thank you, Axel! But I can't tie my tie!!" Xion whined.

"Oh, can't help you there! Go see if he's outside."

"Fiiiiiiiiiine," Xion whined as she hurried down the stairs, her ankle high black leather boots galloping the whole way in the empty entryway.

"I'm gonna check on Little Chef in the kitchen. Can you check on Naminé?" Axel asked.

"Sure thing!" Roxas agreed cheerfully before hurrying to Naminé's room and politely knocking on the door. "Naminé, are you almost done?"

"Y-yes, but Xion just did my nails and I'm having trouble with this button!" Naminé whimpered through the door.

"Oh, well Xion's outside looking for Isa. Would you like me to help you?" Roxas offered.

"Please!" the blonde accepted gratefully.

"Okay, coming in!" the teen announced himself before entering. In the center of the room, Naminé stood dressed in a Lolita-inspired white bell skirt with black petticoat made of lace. Her hair was braided into a crown that wrapped beautifully around her head and ended in an elegant bun on top decorated with a hair pin made with tiny black and white roses and thin black and white ribbons. Three tiny delicate silver chain necklaces adorned her neck and she had dangling tear drop costume diamond earrings. To pull the look together she wore shoes similar to her blue ones, but they were white and had black ribbon straps that wrapped around her ankles like ballet slippers.

When Roxas entered, she smiled helplessly and held up her hands to show the perfectly manicured nails that were now painted a glossy black and decorated with white rhinestones.

"Oh no," the teen grinned.

"Oh no?" Naminé asked nervously.

"Isa might go into berserk mode to keep the boys from Xion's math club away from you," Roxas grinned.

Naminé blushed prettily, almost clutching her fists as she raised them up for Roxas to stop teasing her. "Roxaaasssssss!!" But she giggled happily all the same and turned around so she could show him the clasp she's having trouble with.

The teen couldn't help chuckling with her as she pointed to the last clasp in the back of her dress, which he assisted in helping her close. "There you go! You look great, Naminé."

"Thank you, Roxas. And you look great as well. Wait, what happened to your hair?" she put her hands on her hips as she frowned slightly.

"Axel."

"Axel," she huffed. "Would you like me to fix it for you?"

"Sure," Roxas laughed.

Out in the courtyard, Xion found Isa setting up the last of the chess pieces for the outdoor games. To go with the theme, they've set up a giant garden chessboard where people take the roles of pieces to be controlled on the board. Though they hopefully had enough party guests to fill up all the pieces, they rented giant pieces from a party store in town to use just in case. Isa was dressed similarly to Axel in that he was wearing all black, but he was wearing a black tie with silver moons and his black silk shirt had the barest appearance of vertical striping. "Everything alright, Xion?" he asked just as he set down the last pawn.

"Nobody else knows how to tie a tie!" Xion said simply as she held it out for him, earning a chuckle from the blue-haired man.

"Hold on, I only know how to tie it when it's on myself," he explained as he put it around his own neck and looked down as he flung the ends of the tie this way and that until he had the knot right. Then he loosened it just enough to pull it over his own head and placed it down over Xion's. "There. You look wonderful, Xion."

The raven-haired teen blushed happily, "Thank you, Isa! The chess board looks great too! Will you be on my team later?"

"Of course," Isa grinned. "Always happy to take Lea down a peg."

"Hehe," Xion giggled. "You two are too much."

Up in outer space, Riku was driving the ship while Sora was struggling to get dressed in the sleeping quarters down below, knocking things over and bumping into things as the ship kept swerving back and forth to avoid the meteors that have suddenly clogged the route back to Twilight Town.

"OW!" Sora yelped as he fell into one of the bunks and hit his head on the bunk above it. "WATCH IT, RIKU!"

"Keep it down!" Riku yelled back. "We wouldn't even be on this route if you hadn't needed new clothes!"

"How did you just lose your whole outfit again?" Kairi asked.

"I told you, I don't know!" Sora lied as he finally buttoned all the buttons on his shirt and ripped the tags off.

Kairi poked her head down through the door and tossed Sora's gummi phone down to him. "Well now you get to text Roxas and tell them that we're running late."

"Fine, I get it!" Sora grumbled as he caught his phone.

By the time the trio arrived, the party was already in full swing. There were teens everywhere dressed semi-formally in their black and white attire having a good time in the courtyard and inside the mansion, the place was bumping as Demyx kept the music going at full blast. They ran into Ven in the courtyard first who was dressed in a skin-tight black long-sleeved shirt with white vest and black slacks.

"Hey, guys!" the blonde greeted from nearby the gift table.

The trio set their gifts down quickly as they took in the crowded party.

"Hey, Ven!" Sora smiled brightly. "Wow, there are a lot of people here!"

"Yeah, Roxas said the school dance was canceled recently due to the gymnasium getting flooded so they invited all of their classmates as well as the club members to enjoy the party with them," Ven explained.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Kairi praised.

"What took you guys so long?" Ven nudged Sora, already having a feeling he knew the brunette had something to do with it.

Sora shifted from foot to foot, already getting uncomfortable in his new black shoes. He was already breaking dress code slightly by wearing black pants with a burgundy dress shirt and black tie so he felt bad enough. "I lost the outfit I was planning to wear so I had to buy new clothes at the last minute," he explained.

"Aw, that's a shame. But what's important is that you're here. You all look great!"

The trio said thank you as they all smiled sheepishly. Riku was wearing something very similar to Sora, black slacks with white shirt but he also broke dress code with a yellow silk tie. Kairi was wearing a little black dress with a cropped white denim jacket with pearl beading sewn into it.

"You look nice too, Ven!" Kairi grinned. "Where we can we find the birthday trio?"

"They're inside tearing up the dance floor!" Ven laughed. "I only came out here because I felt a little...crowded."

Sora blinked and looked around. Sure enough, there were a lot of eyes on Ven, specifically from the girls. Sora couldn't help grinning, "So how many people have asked you why you look like Roxas?"

"Oh too many!" Ven slouched, earning a laugh from all three.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Roxas came outside with Xion, Naminé, Hayner, Pence, and Olette in tow. "I thought you were never going to show!"

The group exchanged greetings and pleasantries and Sora explained himself again, but Naminé peered at him suspiciously as if she weren't buying it but she said nothing.

"Happy birthday," Riku cheered for the three of them. "This party really is something!"

The birthday trio all grinned broadly, clearly proud of themselves for coming up with the theme. Naminé clasped her hands together happily, "Isa and Axel worked really hard to help us plan the party!"

"Yeah, we really wanted to do something cool!" Xion bounced on the balls of her feet as she giggled giddily.

"I think you definitely achieved that!" Kairi smiled. "I'm so envious, too! Both your dresses look soooooo cute!"

"Yes, they are!" Sora agreed. "And you're looking spiffy, Roxas!"

"You didn't clean up so badly yourself," Roxas rubbed the tip of his nose happily. "Now Riku on the other hand..."

"You're lucky it's your birthday...or maybe not so lucky," Riku grinned evilly.

Roxas's smug face fell. "What do you mean?"

Sora then grinned too, "Oh yeah, that's right! I almost forgot!"

"What? Wait...no!" Roxas backed up a step.

"BIRTHDAY PINCHES!" both cackled as they quickly reached for Roxas and pinched both sides of his face.

"GET OFF ME!!" Roxas flailed but Kairi joined in the fun too and pinched his arm playfully, earning laughter from the group. Pence in the meantime was snapping pictures of the whole thing.

"Pence!!" Roxas groaned. "You didn't need pictures of THAT!"

"Sure, I did!" the teen grinned mischievously as he held up the instant photographs for everybody to see.

Riku burst out laughing as he let go of Roxas's face. "I need a copy of that one!"

"NO, YOU DON'T!" Roxas shouted, only to receive a sneaky kiss on the forehead from Riku next which only enraged him further, much to Riku's amusement.

"May I, ladies?" Sora asked Xion and Naminé, who both giggled shyly as they nodded in approval before Sora gave them each a kiss on the cheek, followed soon after by Riku. They all laughed together as Hayner, Pence, and Olette looked on with slight confusion, having not witnessed this birthday tradition before and wondering why Roxas got such cruel treatment.

"By the way, Naminé, um...there was something I wanted to say," Sora said shyly as he took her hand and walked just a couple of steps away from the rest of the group who were now chattering and yucking it up.

"Yes, Sora?" Naminé smiled as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"I just wanted to finally say thank you," he grinned. "For everything."

The blonde gasped, blushing as she clasped her fingers together over Sora's hand. "I finally get my official thank you?" she grinned cheekily.

Sora threw his head back and laughed, "Yes, this is the official thank you!"

"Well then, you're very welcome, Sora!" she giggled before throwing her arms around Sora in a hug which he returned. When they separated, both were wiping tears of emotion from the corners of their eyes, they were happy tears to be sure but also filled with something else, something much deeper that Sora couldn't put his finger on, but Naminé knew.

Pence called them all over to take more pictures of all the friends together and then blinked at the resulting photograph when he just now realized how many sets of blue eyes were in the group. "Wait a minute," he muttered.

"Something wrong?" Hayner asked as he walked over and looked over Pence's shoulder. Pence didn't even have to say anything before he saw it too. When Kairi, Xion, and Naminé are close together, it was really easy to see the resemblance between the trio. Ven, Roxas, and Sora were very similar as well. But also Xion, Ven, Roxas, and Naminé had the same colored eyes as Sora. It had both of them scratching their heads until Olette wandered over and scolded at them for keeping them waiting.

"What is it, you two? Are you going to make us stand here forever?" Olette asked impatiently.

"Oh, no, it's fine!" Pence told them. "I just have a question or two."

"What is it now, Pence?" Roxas groaned good-naturedly. He knew that look on his friend's face...the look of conspiracy!

"How are you all related again?" Pence asked.

"What makes you assume we're all related?" Sora blurted out defensively.

"You all look so much alike!" Hayner pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm just now kind of noticing because I've been taking pictures during the party!" Pence added. "I mean Roxas and Ven are practically twins!"

"We're cousins," Ven spoke up as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, a phrase he's had to repeat at least fifty times today.

Roxas rolled his eyes, "Look, Naminé and Xion are my sisters. Naminé and I are twins and Xion is our half-sister."

Xion nodded along, "Uh, right." She fidgeted with her fingers. They've gone over this familial story before but she always felt so shy saying it out loud herself.

Hayner eyed the three. It made sense if that's why their birthdays are so close together. Also if Xion is a half-sibling, it may explain why they don't talk about their family dynamics very much. But that doesn't explain why they look so much like Sora and Kairi.

"Okay, that explains that, but what about Sora and Kairi?" the blonde teen asked.

"Also cousins," Sora and Kairi stated at the same time.

"Wow, blue eyes must really run in the family, huh? That's so cool!" Olette smiled while the whole group grinned nervously.

"Waaaaaaaaaaait," Pence eyed Kairi and Sora suspiciously. "So you two are NOT dating? You've been cousins this whole time?"

Riku facepalmed. He had them there. Kairi blushed furiously. It's true, when she first met Olette, the brunette assumed she and Sora were a couple when she said she was looking for Sora. How was she going to talk her way out of this one?

Sora, meanwhile, was panicking hardcore so he did the only thing that he could think of, "No, Riku and I are dating!"

The Twilight Trio's heads swiveled towards Riku and Sora so fast it was almost scary and now it was Roxas's turn to facepalm. As silly as it was, the topic change worked, because all of a sudden the awkward subject was dropped in favor of congratulating the other two. After that, they heard the music get even louder inside the mansion.

"The music calls for us, Roxas!" Xion laughed.

"You got it!" Roxas cheered. "Come on, guys, let's go dance!"

Sora had seen Xion, Naminé, and Roxas dance at the other parties, but they were really letting loose this time! Roxas in fact was dancing with the both of them, trading both of them as partners left and right as he spun and flipped the both of them in an almost synchronized routine as if they do this all the time. At one point, Roxas couldn't help [singing along](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIhvmLZnJGQ) as he danced with the both of them which drove everybody at the party wild and begging for an encore which Roxas had to refuse as both his lovely dance partners were starting to wear him out. Naturally, Sora was filming the entire thing on his gummi phone only for Roxas to catch him and pull him into the dance circle with him.

Then there were dance-off challenges every which way where all their classmates cheered them on, the one that got the most attention being Roxas versus Sora but the two were so in synch with each other that it turned from a competition to just them dancing with each other while showing off all their acrobatic moves. After that, they went around switching partners very quickly to the high energy music until it was time for food and cake!

Isa and Lea were quick to push out tables laden with food from Le Bistro's little chef and at the very end of the table stood a towering cake with decorated to look like a 3D chessboard complete with a black king and a black queen and white queen chess piece at the top to represent the birthday trio, each tier either being vanilla or chocolate. The cake was then lit with 51 thin gold candles and the three were given the task of hurrying to blow them all out after they made their wishes.

Once everybody was sufficiently stuffed with food and cake, it was onto the presents! One by one, the teens opened their numerous gifts. The pile was so massive that the Destiny Island trio couldn't even make out the presents they had gifted in the pile of colorful wrapping paper. But the trio had gift Naminé some new art supplies and a camera that they all pitched in to buy for her. For Xion, Sora gifted a moogle plushie, Kairi gifted clothes, and Riku gifted a chocobo plushie. For Roxas, Sora splurged and bought an electronic keyboard, Kairi bought him a new robot figurine kit, and from Riku--

"A jacket?" Roxas blinked as he held up a dark red leather jacket from the tissue paper it was wrapped in. It took about two seconds before his face turned red as he tried it on. It was clearly a very stylish jacket, however, the joke was not lost on him.

"See, you DO look good in red," Riku snickered in a voice that only Roxas could hear.

"Thaaaaaaanks," Roxas tried to smile as he groaned but his eyebrow was twitching with annoyance.

Lastly, the trio were gifted an ice cream machine from Isa and Axel which already the three teens couldn't wait to try out during the after party. But for now there were still games to play out in the courtyard. After the gifts, the crowd was starting to disperse so only a few of their classmates were left. After many rousing games of Pictionary, it was down to the epic chess showdown that everybody was looking forward to!

Though the idea was to take up the positions on the chess board, the boys were all having way too much fun tackling each other when it actually came time to eliminate each other's pieces. Pence got lots of fun action shots as Isa and Axel took each other down and while both Ven and Roxas had a tussle while protecting Queen Naminé. Most of them weren't even that good at chess so the games went by quickly, leaving many chances for different people to play team captain. At one point, Riku was leading a game against Roxas and he sent Sora the knight against Naminé. For every game, everybody felt bad about eliminating Naminé, begging each other to not be forced to be the one to drag her off the board but Sora being a gentleman simply went up to her and offered his hand which she accepted with a giggle before he scooped her up bridal style to carry her off the board, earning a squeal from the blonde teen "EEEEE! You got me!" while Roxas shouted, "HOW DARE YOU TAKE MY QUEEN?". After that, Roxas was very rash in his moves while shouting "FOR NAMINE!", making mistake after mistake and even after he recovered Naminé (who captured opponents by simply booping them on the nose before saying "shoo"), Riku totally wiped him out and declared checkmate. However, when it was Naminé's turn to lead the team, she was absolutely ruthless and decimated the competition against every opponent.

At one point Axel completely refused to move off the board so Xion was forced to hug his waist while she dragged him away until Naminé came over and booped him on the nose, to which he fell dramatically and cried, "WOE IS ME! I've been WOUNDED!"

By the time the games of chaotic speed chess were over, most of them were very disheveled and were in various states of undress, unbuttoned, and/or untied. Soon it was time for all of their classmates to leave and after they all took a few more last pictures together, they said farewell and thanked their guests for coming. Demyx was one of the last to leave with a giant plate of cake and food wrapped in tin foil for him to take with him, still begging for Roxas to join his band as he was politely sent on his way with equipment in tow.

When it was just Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Ven left, it was time for the after party to start. A SLUMBER PARTY! After everybody helped clean up, the teens gathered in the library where pillows and blankets were all piled up for them to sit on while they played more party games and caught up with each other. By now, they've all changed into their pajamas and the birthday trio were all wearing matching black and white pajama sets that said either "Birthday Girl" or "Birthday Boy" to which Roxas explained simply, "Axel bought them."

Content to just let the teens hang out, Isa and Axel have very nearly collapsed with exhaustion in the nearby living room. The pair only barely supervising as they curled up on the couch together and watched a movie while trying to block out the laughter echoing from the library, or rather Isa was trying to block it out. His head was pounding from listening to all the loud music and screaming teenagers all day. Axel was enjoying listening to the others have fun while also getting a chance to spoil Isa for a little bit with a massage to his temples. In the end, both were very happy that they were able to provide a wonderful party for the teens in their care...but they also were elated that it was all over.

Meanwhile, the teens tried to play Pictionary and card games until they were all too tired to even read the cards in their hands. Even Naminé was having a hard time drawing straight lines. Before they knew it, they all came crashing down from their sugar high and had all fallen asleep in a pile on the floor. When the group fell silent, Axel and Isa rose from the couch to check on them only to find they were all tangled up and decided to just leave them be, tossing a few blankets on top of them before they turned in for the night.

Sora had somehow ended up in the middle of the teen dog pile with Xion, Naminé, and Kairi resting their heads on him and their limbs over each other in some form or fashion. Ven was curled up near the top of his head, who Sora used as a pillow, and Roxas was curled into Sora's other side in between him and Riku. So somehow Riku ended up the only one NOT laying on top of Sora in some fashion. In fact, it was almost hard to see Sora underneath all the bodies while they all laid in a messy nest of pillows, cushions, and blankets.

At one point, Roxas rolls over and drapes his arm over Riku, the older male gently stirring awake at the slight addition of weight on his chest. When he glanced around, he was very surprised to see how they all ended up migrating around Sora even though he was pretty sure they all fell asleep separately to begin with. But before he could even process that information, he felt Roxas breathe into his neck which made the hair on the back of his neck prickle. He glanced down to see that Roxas does seem to be asleep and even makes a sleepy moan which admittedly stirred something in Riku's middle. However, he's then hit with a spark of realization as he felt the face nuzzled against him begin to heat up against his skin. "Nice try," he whispers with a chuckle in his voice.

"What gave me away?" Roxas hissed into his ear.

"You're blushing," Riku whispered back. "What the heck were you trying to do?"

"Not blushing. Just a prank, bro," Roxas muttered sleepily as he moves into a more comfortable position where he's cuddling Riku's side.

Riku smirked in the dark. Clearly Roxas was trying to tease him in retaliation for that forehead kiss from earlier. "You're not gonna roll over?"

"It's my birthday. I'll do what I want," Roxas murmured as he started to fall back asleep.

"Oh really?"

"Mm-hmm."

Not to be outdone at this little game that Roxas had started, Riku grips the teen's side and pulls him even closer. As the warm body slid closer to his, he could feel the mild panic coming from Roxas as his sleepily pliant body became more rigid against him, his fist clenching into Riku's t-shirt. When the teen still didn't give in, Riku smirked and gripped his hip, fingertips _accidently_ brushing his skin as his shirt bunched up in his grip. He could feel Roxas's breathing quicken but still the teen refused to pull away. So then in one swift motion, he pulls Roxas on top of himself. NOW Roxas was full-blown panicking, quietly flailing as he tried pushing up from Riku's chest.

"Don't be stupid!" he hissed at Riku as he pressed his palms into his pecs in an effort to escape his grasp but Riku's strong arms were already wrapped around him. He had no way of escaping without waking anybody up!

"I thought this was what you wanted, birthday boy~" Riku whispered back as he squeezed tighter. He could feel Roxas's body temperature rapidly rising in his face barely inches from his own and he smirked in quiet satisfaction as he could hear the panic in the other's breathing as he squirmed in his grip. The two were now staring each other down in the dark, daring each other to give in.

"Nnn..keep it down you two," Sora suddenly murmured, startling the pair as they caught his half-lidded stare in the dark.

Now both slightly embarrassed, Riku released his grip and let Roxas slide off of him so that he was in between Sora and Riku once more. They both heard Sora snicker before he fell back asleep and unable to look at Riku, Roxas curled back into Sora. But just as he was about to let sleep take him once more, he felt Riku move beside him. Suddenly he felt the other's broad chest press into his back and an arm drape over him to grip Sora's hand which was resting on his own stomach. Now sandwiched between the two, Roxas decided this wasn't so bad and made no protest as he fell asleep to the rhythm of everybody's soft breathing, content and happy with how his first birthday party turned out.


	27. Vanitas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanitas has a day out and a night in.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi decided to spend the morning in Twilight Town before heading back to the islands. While everybody hung out in the library to play video games, Sora pulled Axel aside to ask him a very important question...after Axel spent ten minutes showing off all the photos he got of their slumber party dog pile from the night before.

"Can you send me copies of those?" Sora giggled.

"Absolutely!" Axel snickered. "So what did you want to ask?"

"Well, you guys have an extra bedroom, right?" the brunette asked quietly.

Axel raised an eyebrow, "Trouble at home, Sora?"

"Huh? No, no, nothing like that. Just that I have a friend who needs a place to go and I'm pretty sure my parents wouldn't let him live with us. So I was wondering..."

"Say no more. I'm sure the others would love to have a new friend around!" Axel answered cheerfully.

"Wait, really?"

"Sure, why not? Bring him over any time!"

"Thanks, Axel! You're the best!"

"I know. Keep it memorized!" the redhead grinned and winked.

Back on the islands, Vanitas was grumbling from sheer boredom. Sora mentioned having to go somewhere with the others for a day so he had nothing to do. He was bored enough that he snuck into Sora's house to drop off the boxes that Sora had been leaving food for him in. Once he snuck back out he prowled the neighborhood for something else to keep him entertained. As fun as it was getting into fights with cats in his flood form, he decided he wanted to check out the vendors in town so he transformed back into his normal form while wearing the clothes he "borrowed" from Sora...as in borrowed with no intention of returning.

Amongst the villagers in their colorful clothes, he supposed he stood out a bit as he kept getting the occasional second glance, but other than that, nobody really seemed to pay him any mind. He liked it that way. It was bad enough that it was sweltering on the island and that his black clothing was absorbing sunlight like it was going out of style, but the incessant buzzing of summer cicadas was really getting on his nerves. Anybody who dared to talk to him would not be in for a good time! Despite how uncomfortable he was, he didn't find his walk unpleasant. The village was quiet but also buzzing in a different way that was much more preferable to his ears. It was a comfortable sort of quiet that wasn't lonely. Nobody was paying attention to him, but he didn't feel isolated either.

"What's with that stupid get-up, Sora?" Vanitas heard a scraggly voice from somewhere behind him. He glanced around but he didn't see Sora anywhere so he assumed whoever this was must've been talking to somebody else, so he continued walking, only for the annoying voice to yell again. "HEY, I'M TALKING TO YOU! Just because we're not at school doesn't mean you can ignore your elders!"

Vanitas turned around to find the source of the squawking and sure enough it was the gym teacher he recognized from Sora's school. The man did not look well as he was struggling to stand up straight and he had this putrid smell about him that made Vanitas turn his nose up in disgust. "Are you talking to me?"

"WHO ELSE!?" the man slurred as he got up in Vanitas's face. "I said what's with the get up? You know dying your hair is against the rules, Sora! I hope for your sake that it's not permanent. Also what the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

Vanitas scowled as he took a step forward, forcing the unsteady man to step back. "I'm not Sora!"

"Bullshit! I know that ugly face anywhere! You stupid pieces of shit think you can disappear for two years and come back and do whatever you want!"

The man continued ranting and raving complete nonsense at the top of his lungs, something about Sora moonlighting as a punk, something about disrespect, something about being a blight on the school's reputation, and so on, earning uncomfortable stares from the villagers as they walked by. It was annoying. It was pissing him off. "Just shut up, old man! You're a disgrace."

"You can't talk like that to me!" the gym teacher spat with fury.

"Just did," Vanitas said simply as he turned to walk away. He could hear the man stumbling to run after him but he fell down on his own face. He heard one of the street vendors help him to his feet while scolding him for drinking too much again which earned a growl from Vanitas as he continued to walk towards the beach. "Disgusting."

As he came upon the beach, he found a tree to climb up in, transforming into a flood to skitter up the long trunk before roosting on a branch in his human form again to watch the ocean. He found the sounds of the waves pleasant but he also enjoyed watching the rocky waters crash against the rocks on the shore and spray foam on anybody who dared to be walking by. Within the tree's branches, he could see a discarded newspaper tangled within its limbs. Its constant crinkling noise from the occasional breeze annoyed him so he went to pluck it free only to see Sora and Riku's school pictures on the front page. He squinted to read the ink that had been blurred from being exposed to the elements but he could make out enough. From what he could gather, there was a storm two years ago that swept the boys away so that they were lost at sea. The paper detailed the search efforts that took place for weeks after the storm and there was a picture of Kairi, the mayor's daughter, who the paper explained was the last to see Sora and Riku before they went missing. It then went on to detail the teens' miraculous return but also goes on to explain that no details have been revealed as to how they found their way back or what they have gone through during their harrowing experience. It then goes on to say how thankful the community is to have them back safe and sound, which earned an eyeroll from Vanitas as he crumbled the scrap paper up in his fists. "In other words, we tried snooping but nobody would tell us anything, so here's a sappy happy ending for you!" he mocked as he dropped the wadded newspaper into the trashcan just below the tree.

"That storm they're referring to must've been the night when their world was swallowed by darkness. To think they'd blame their own ocean for such devastation," he grinned. He knew the ocean could be a powerful force, but to think it could actually be feasible for these people to believe that story...he was intrigued. Impressed, even. As he continued to sit and watch the tide get higher and higher, he chuckled with amusement as he watched a bunch of kids on the beach try to fight off the tide with buckets to protect a sand castle they just built, only to fail miserably. One of the smallest children even started crying and it irritated him to watch. People here really don't seem to know how good they have it, he's observed. Even the bumbling man who mistook him for Sora...even he's lucky.

"To make such a fool of yourself and yet somebody still comes by to get you off the ground," he muttered. "What do you have to be so miserable about that you pick on teenagers to feel better?"

Even in the shade of the tree, the summer heat was unbearable. Not content to let the ocean breeze be his only solace, he decided to take it upon himself to sneak back into Sora's bedroom to find more suitable clothes. The house was quiet so he assumed nobody was home as he dug through the clothes in one of the dressers. He didn't need much, just something loose. Compared to the body suit he was used to wearing, he found he liked the looser fabric of the shirt he stole and the jeans weren't so bad either, but if he could find something less tight, he thinks he'd have an easier time beating the heat. What he found was a loose red t-shirt and a pair of thin black pants with a drawstring that seemed airy enough. Satisfied with what he had picked, he changed into the clothing and rolled up the black clothes he had stolen into a bundle before turning to the window to take his leave. However, just as he was about to leave, a soft voice called out from behind him.

"Oh, you're back early! Dinner's in 10, sweetie," Sora's mom informed him from the open door.

The teen stiffened but didn't dare turn his back to look at the woman who he could sense was still standing in the doorway. "Okay," he finally said.

Sora's mother heard how deep his voice sounded and raised an eyebrow in concern, just now noticing what he was wearing. "Why are you in your pajamas, hon? You feeling okay?"

The sun was going down, so maybe she couldn't tell how much darker his hair was than Sora's, but when he heard her walk towards him, he wasn't taking any chances. "I-I'm fine," he said. But when she insisted on coming closer, he closed his eyes and froze only to feel her hand on his forehead. It took everything he had to keep from flinching from the warm touch but once her palm settled over his face, he felt himself relaxing.

"You feel clammy and you look really pale! Are you sure you're okay?" the woman asked with a concern in her voice that pierced the teen's defenses around his heart just enough to make his voice waver slightly. "Sora?"

"My hear--HEAD hurts," he mumbled, keeping his eyes tightly closed.

She took the expression as a grimace of pain and made a tut tut noise before gently shoving Vanitas towards the bed. "Well go lie down and I'll bring dinner up. We can't have you missing school now, can we?"

Vanitas stumbled toward the bed, a little stunned, but he didn't open his eyes until he heard her footsteps walk down the hall. Now what should he do? Sora wasn't going to be back until morning. With a sigh, he found himself obediently crawling into the small bed. Now that the sun was going down, it was considerably cooler, so he crawled under the thin blanket and made himself comfortable as the gentle ocean breeze continued to blow in through the open window. While he listened to Sora's mother work in the kitchen below, he felt himself getting sleepy and allowed his eyes to drift closed for real this time.

It wasn't too much longer before Sora's mom returned with a couple of bottles of ice water and a plate of food. When she saw he seemed to be asleep, she quietly set the items on the bedside table and leaned over to feel his forehead again. "Must've been the heat. I'll check on you in a little bit," she said in a soft, soothing voice before leaving the room once more.

 _Is this a thing that mothers do?_ He recalled Aqua doing this for Ventus similarly and how warm and happy it made Ventus feel. He did feel warm but he couldn't allow himself to feel happy. After all, she was only doing this because she thought he was Sora. He bit his bottom lip as he let that thought sink in, gripping the sheets tightly in his fists as he felt the pain reach his heart and threaten to replace the warmth he felt there not just moments ago. He didn't want it. He didn't want to hurt. With a shake of his head he sat up and fisted angrily at his eyes only for the aroma of the food next to him to reach his nose. He glanced over at the plate with what looked like a pork cutlet piled high with rice next to two bottles of water. He took the water first and gulped it down greedily. Maybe the heat really was affecting him after all in his weakened state. He was already feeling a lot better and by the time he finished downing the bottle he was ready to devour the food left for him, not leaving even a single grain of rice behind before gently setting the plate down and grabbing the other bottle to down it as well. When he was done, he felt full and content and sunk back into the warm bed.

His eyes closed again, feeling better than he had since he first arrived. Maybe there was something to these feelings after all. He wasn't sure if he felt stronger but he felt...alive.

He heard Sora's mom enter the room again and heard the pleased sound she made when she discovered the empty bottles of water and empty plate. She chuckled softly and then he felt her leaning over him. Soft lips pressed to his forehead and his body felt warm all over again. A gentle hand brushed through his hair and he couldn't hold back the soft sigh that escaped his lips.

"Good night, sweetie. I'll check on you in the morning," she whispered before leaving once again and closing the door behind her.

Vanitas swallowed hard as twin tears escaped the corners of his eyes. He didn't know what this was. He was sad but he was also happy. It hurt...but he didn't mind it either. He just wished he could've allowed himself to open his eyes and see her...to see the look she would've been giving him. He tried to imagine it, tried to imagine her smile, maybe her eyes slightly crinkled with worry, maybe even soft with adoration based on her tone of voice. But it was hard. He didn't even know what she looked like. Maybe he can see her from afar tomorrow. With that in mind, he drifted off to sleep.

For the first time as far as he could remember, he slept peacefully and through the entire night. He slept so soundly that when he awoke to the sounds of the birds chirping outside he didn't realize that Sora's mother had stopped by again and left breakfast for him, a light breakfast of soup with a side of buttered toast and another bottle of water. He couldn't help the small smile on his face as he sniffed the warm soup before pressing the bowl to his lips and drinking it slowly, deciding to savor the food this time instead of inhaling it like he had been. He found he really wanted to actually taste it this time. It was a mild and light flavor. He liked it. The toast afterwards filled him enough and he slowly sipped the water bottle's contents until he felt tired again. Maybe he could indulge in just a few more minutes of sleep. He doesn't even remember his head hitting the pillow. The next thing he knew, he heard a sharp yet quiet voice piercing the silence of his sleep.

"What are you doing here?" Sora asked, standing over him with the door closed behind him. He was still dressed in his clothes from the party, but Vanitas didn't hear him come in. He must've come in through the window.

"Your mom trapped me," he answered while pulling the blankets over his head to hide from the blinding light that was now pouring in through the window.

"Uh-huuuuuuuuuuh," Sora crossed his arms, but he didn't question him further as it did sound like something his mother would do.

Vanitas rolled his eyes as he felt Sora continue to stare at him and finally emerged from the bed. It's not like he could keep up the charade any longer even if he tried. "It's not my fault that everybody around you is as dense as you are."

"So now you're calling my mother dense?" the brunette asked icily.

"N-no!" Vanitas stammered, causing the brunette's glare to soften in surprise. "It was dark, she couldn't see me very well."

Sora tilted his head, "So others saw you?"

Vanitas nodded. "Look, I didn't want to be here. I was just going to borrow something else to wear."

"So you decided to borrow my pajamas?" Sora laughed.

"Is that what these are?" Vanitas asked as he looked down to hide his reddening cheeks. He didn't appreciate being laughed at.

"Look, I get it. I'm not mad," the brunette chuckled as he wandered over to his wardrobe and dug through it.

"I wouldn't have cared even if you were," the teen huffed.

"Yeah, yeah," Sora snickered as he tossed clothes over his shoulder until he found what he was looking for. "Look, if you're going to stick around, you're going to have to get used to wearing lighter clothes." He turned back to Vanitas with a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a white t-shirt with a large black boat logo on the front of it. "I know they're probably not your style, but try these on."

Vanitas rolled his eyes but begrudgingly changed into the offered clothes. They did feel lighter and he did appreciate the pockets, even if the shorts were ugly. "Thanks."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Sora, you feeling better?"

Sora panicked slightly but he was on it! "Uh, yeah, much better!"

"Oh good, you do sound much better. Make sure to take the bowl downstairs when you're done."

"I will!" Sora answered back.

"Thank you," Vanitas said in higher-pitched voice that actually sounded so close to Sora's the brunette's jaw dropped.

"You're welcome, sweetie!" Sora's mom called through the door before her steps disappeared down the stairs.

Sora looked between the door and Vanitas a couple of times before smiling softly at the dark-haired teen who caught his gaze and turned away so he didn't have to look at him. "Look, I dunno if I should bring this up now, but when you're strong enough, I found a place for you to live...if you want."

Vanitas spun back around in surprise, "You mean to tell me you don't want me around here anymore?"

Sora raised his hands defensively, "No, it's not that! It's just...if you don't like it here or if you're still deciding where you want to go, I just thought...I mean come on, it's better than living in a cave, right? You'll be able to come and go as you please."

"Where is this place?" Vanitas asked.

"You ready for a quick trip?" Sora asked with a grin as he handed Vanitas his own gummi phone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"VANITAS!?" Axel practically screamed when he opened the door to the mansion to find Sora on the doorstep with his dark look-a-like.

Inside, everybody gathered in the living room to greet their new guest but also to glare at Axel for his carelessness.

"Sora, when you said you had a friend with no place to go, I thought you were asking us to look after a puppy or a cat or something," Axel stammered as he felt Isa glaring daggers into his left side on the couch. "This is a person."

"Why would a dog or a cat need a spare room?" Sora deadpanned.

"You weren't specific!" the redhead protested! "You said your parents probably wouldn't let you keep him! What was I supposed to think?"

"Yeah, PROBABLY! I didn't actually ask them. I mean how could I?" Sora asked.

Meanwhile Vanitas sat uncomfortably on the couch next to Sora. "Look, I don't even need to be here. I'll be fine on my own!"

"We didn't say you couldn't stay!" Roxas shouted from the couch he was sitting on with Xion and Naminé. "Right, Isa?"

The blue-haired man sighed as he propped himself up on the armrest. "As long as you stay out of trouble, I have no objections. What's one more?"

"There's one more thing," Sora laughed nervously. "You can't let the others know he's here, not yet."

Axel's eyes widened. "Sora...you mean to tell me that the others don't know?"

"You actually managed to keep a secret?" Xion gasped.

"Look, he needs me!" Sora tried to explain.

"I don't need anybody!" Vanitas snapped.

"But--" Naminé started to say, the room instantly going quiet as they waited for her to finish. She caught Vanitas's gaze and suddenly everything made sense. "We'll keep it a secret, right everybody?"

Axel sighed and leaned back into the couch while running a hand through his own hair. "Look, it's not like we don't want to help. But won't it be hard keeping it from the others?"

"You'll barely know that I'm here," Vanitas grumbled.

"I just want him to have a place to go...a place to sleep. He'll behave, I promise. If not, that's on me," Sora insisted. "I'll take full responsibility."

"Damn right, you will," Isa said sharply. "We'll establish some ground rules. If you agree to them, you can stay. But we'll have no part in whatever schemes you might be coming up with in that head of yours."

"You flatter me," Vanitas hissed. "But I assure you, there is no scheme to be had. I just want to be left alone."

"I believe him," Roxas nodded to Isa. "Sora wouldn't ask this of us if he weren't sure."

Sora nodded firmly and finally Isa and Axel exchanged a look of agreement. "Fine," the redhead said. "Welcome to our home, Vanitas. Be sure to wipe your feet whenever you come inside. Got it memorized?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Back outside, Sora headed back to the gummi ship with Vanitas following close behind to see him off. "Sora."

Sora turned back around, "Will you be okay? You know how to work the phone now, right? And you're still able to use portals of darkness?"

Vanitas tested it by opening one beside himself. "I am strong enough to handle that," he confirmed before dismissing it. "So I'll still be seeing you."

"I know," Sora nodded. "But before I go...?"

"Let's do it in the gummi ship."

"Is that a smile I see?" Sora grinned.

"Shut up," Vanitas turned his nose up as he boarded the ship.


	28. Mark of Mastery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora stands tall and bares all.

Vanitas continued to come to the islands for the the next several days. Though Sora was compliant with giving Vanitas what he needed, the other teen seemed to be getting more aggressive in his approach. Sora didn't quite understand it until he noticed that the memories and feelings that Vanitas dredged up were getting progressively more obscure. He wouldn't even call them his most painful ones. After a few nights of this, he finally asked the question that had been nagging him. "So...why aren't you just revisiting my worst memories over and over if that's what you need?"

Vanitas shot him an irritated look, but he answered, "The more you revisit memories, the less painful they become. When you face your problems head on, over time they hurt less."

Sora's eyes widened in realization. Was that why his memories hurt so much? Because he's been pushing them aside and unwilling to think about what he's gone through? "I guess...I didn't think of it that way."

Vanitas hugged his knees to his chest, "That's the thing about hurt. You can take a lot more if you revisit what you've already felt. But then it also takes a lot more before you feel it again."

Sora blinked as he studied the faraway look on Vanitas's face lit by the dim lantern. "Did Xehanort hurt you a lot?"

"All the time, and then he left me to hurt myself. When I wasn't getting stronger, I had to hurt myself even more. That's just how it was."

"That's horrible..."

"It is what it is. I've already decided I won't let my pain define who I am. For years I was told I had to be stronger otherwise my existence was meaningless. My only purpose was to make the χ-blade. Even then when I was brought back, the purpose was no different. Now here I am yet again but there's no χ-blade, just another thing that wants to use me for their own reasons. I'm done existing for others. I want to exist for myself on my own terms."

Sora smiled at him. "I'm proud of you, Vanitas. I know it's going to be hard, but I think you're going in the right direction."

"Who asked you?" Vanitas huffed.

~ . ~ . ~

Midterms were coming up and for once Sora was confident that he might actually do well! Maybe even well enough to proudly tell his mom so she could finally have something to put on the fridge besides his essay on Romeo and Juliet, which was still kind of embarrassing. But again, she insists that's her job and who was he to deprive her of that? The only blight he could see on his precious midterm grades was the ever-looming threat of failure on his physical education score. Judo came and went and despite executing everything near perfectly, he still earned low scores that put him in the barely average range. He wasn't too worried, though. The next physical activity that would be the focus of their class was swimming! The only way you can fail swimming is if you don't swim! Piece of cake!

In the meantime, his apprenticeship with his dad has been going great. With all the techniques he's learned about woodworking, he's been able to contribute to helping Riku with the treehouse much more. Now their lunch periods together are filled with exciting plans as they pour over their sketchbooks with Sora writing down any questions that Riku might have so he can ask his dad later. They even told Kairi about their plans and she was over the moon excited for both of them, even offering to help with the interior, such as helping them repurpose items and stuff since she and her mom go to thrift sales all the time.

Even though Vanitas's visits wore him out, Sora felt he was feeling tired in the evenings in a more fulfilled way. He was starting to see why Riku worked on the treehouse late into the evenings. There was something satisfying about giving your all just before passing out in bed. Even as busy as they all were, Sora and Riku actually made it to the blitzball tryouts and made the team! Kairi was so proud of them that she actually treated him and Riku to ice cream afterwards. With homework getting easier and him being excited for what the future might hold, Sora felt his anxiety getting much better. He still had worries, but they seemed much more manageable. He felt himself opening up to his classmates more and laughing along with them during breaks. As he did so, he felt them relaxing around him too. Plus now that the track season was almost over, there was no need for the coach to send his minions to bother him, at least for now.

But that didn't keep the gym teacher from snarling or "accidently" shoving him in the halls whenever he go the opportunity. Once he dodged it only for the teacher to stumble and nearly fall flat on his face which he of course blamed Sora for as well. At one point he cornered Sora in the hall after school and said he knew Sora's "dirty little secret" and to "stay in line" which confused Sora very much. So in the days approaching gym class, his anxiety was at an all-time high once more.

"What could he possibly be talking about?" he asked Riku and Kairi as he angrily bit into his sandwich.

"Who knows?" Kairi sighed.

"Probably something he imagined. The guy's a drunk," Riku said simply.

"Yeah, a drunk that's threatening my midterms," Sora growled.

"At least it's swimming! If you meet the time trial requirements, what could he possibly do?" Kairi smiled. "Cheer up. You got this."

"Yeah, you're right," the brunette smiled back.

So when the time finally came for gym, Sora changed into his gym shirt and tight black knee-length swimwear without a second thought. He didn't feel silly at all wearing his shirt to the pool, but he did leave his wrist band behind in his locker. He ignored the stares he got from his classmates as they left the locker room to line up outside. He paid nobody any mind as they did their stretches, but he did feel Tidus's eyes on his wrist at one point. To the blonde's credit, he didn't ask any questions this time, maybe because he noticed it matches the one on his knee and neck and even he can put two and two together.

Since the girls and guys were swimming together, the female instructor was out there with them instructing them on their stretching. So far the other gym teacher was nowhere to be seen. For a brief moment, Sora maybe hoped that the bastard wasn't present today. But then a shrill whistle came out from the locker room, signaling that the man was indeed there. Impatiently, he had the boys line up first.

"Six of you line up for one lap of freestyle. After that, six of the ladies line up and take your turn. Get in line now!" he commanded before blowing the whistle.

Due to proximity, Sora ended up in one of the first lanes. He didn't mind going first though, so he took his place on the starting platform and waited for the whistle. But instead of the whistle, he heard the coach scream across the pool and just knew it had to be about him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" the teacher pointed at Sora.

Sora looked down at himself. The only thing different about him was his shirt, but it was his gym uniform! "My gym shirt, sensei?" he asked.

"TAKE IT OFF!"

"But sensei--"

"GO TO THE LOCKER ROOM AND CHANGE! Nobody moves until you come back!"

Sora stood dumbfounded and glanced at his classmates who all shifted uncomfortably in the muggy heat. "Sensei--"

"DO YOU NEED ME TO ESCORT YOU, SORA?" the teacher yelled before yanking him off the platform by his arm and shoving him to the locker room. "GET MOVING!"

"Let go of me!" Sora hissed before yanking his arm away. "What's the big deal? What, you want to see me shirtless that badly!?"

"What's the matter?" the teacher mocked as he stood with his arms crossed and a sneer in his voice. "Got a tattoo you don't want anybody to know about?"

"A tattoo?" Sora's face screwed in confusion as he walked toward the locker room. "What are you talking about!?"

"Boy, if you don't get in that locker room and change, you will not be allowed to swim and you will not pass this class! You will not be given any more special treatment! Do I make myself clear!?"

Sora's expression turns dark. "Crystal," he replies before he goes into the locker room and calmly closes the door behind himself so the teacher can't follow him. At his locker his hands hesitate on the bottom of his shirt. How's he going to get out of this?

_"To wear one's scars proudly is the mark of a true pirate, mate."_

That's right. That's what Captain Jack told him. He may not be a real pirate, but he is much more than that. His hands tightened with resolve. _I'm not a victim. I'm a warrior of light and I didn't fight all this time just to be put down now!_

"I've had enough."

Sora emerges from the locker room, chest bare, fists clenched at his sides as he stands tall, glaring at the teacher whose expression turns from smug to horrified.

"N-nevermind, son, you can put your shirt back on," the teacher stammered as he took in the sight of the large scar on Sora's chest.

"No thanks," Sora refused coldly as he turned to walk down the hall.

"Wait, I can't let you go out there looking like that! What will the students think?" the blubbering man asked as he held back another gasp, now seeing all the scars on Sora's back.

"Gee, I wonder," the brunette answered sarcastically as he kept walking.

"Please, don't do it," he begged. When Sora and Riku came back, there was a conference with the other teachers about the trauma they had been through, but he scoffed at the thought of either of them getting special treatment. To him it sounded like the two just ran away and now he was expected to feel sorry for them? There was a rumor that the two had been working on a raft and merely got swept away. Even if they were injured, why should he pity them for any injuries they may have sustained? If anything, they should've been made an example of, or so he thought. It was very clear to him now that these weren't typical scars. The teen had clearly been through something. If word got out to the rest of the faculty that he violated direct orders to give him space he could get fired!

Sora ignores him and opens the door and walks out to the pool where his classmates are still waiting. He walks out with his head held high as he resumes his previous position on the starting platform. Kairi's smiling proudly while the rest of his classmates are stunned as they take in the sight of his toned torso that he's kept hidden this entire time, his scars almost an afterthought. Instead of being greeted with murmurs, he was greeted with silence...with untold respect, the entire time he keeps his eyes locked on the teacher in a perpetual glare and soon the other students are glaring too.

After a long moment of silence, Sora gives his teacher a hard look as he's standing on the platform. The two have a stare off, the teacher practically quaking as Sora's blue eyes bore holes through him. He looks different than he's ever seen him. It's not the look of a typical student but the look of a battle-worn warrior who has seen things way beyond his young years. His hands gripped his whistle tightly as thoughts raced through his head about the things Sora has possibly seen and what's going to happen to himself after this?

Finally, Sora asks, "Well? You going to blow the whistle, sensei?"

Now thoroughly intimidated and humiliated, the teacher shakily brings the whistle to his lips and blows.

* . * . * . * . * . *

After gym, Sora ditched class. He went to the rooftop and pulled out his gummi phone.

"Aqua, I'm ready."

"We'll be waiting, Sora," the keyblade master replied.

With a broad grin he hung up the phone and dug out the gold broach from his bag, securing it on to his arm before tapping it with resolve. He closed his eyes as the regal armor wrapped itself around his body, his smile growing wider as it felt like it fit perfectly for the first time ever. Practically bursting with excitement, he took a deep breath to calm himself before he then summoned his keyblade and opened a portal in the sky and took off on his keyblade glider to make his way for the Land of Departure.

With head held high and helmet in hand, Sora walked proudly into the throne room where Aqua and Terra awaited his arrival. Both smiled brightly at him, clearly impressed with what they were seeing. He looked taller, proud, confident, and absolutely stunning, the way he held himself seemed to make his armor shine in a way that they hadn't seen on him before. This wasn't the same goofy kid they've come to know. This was a king.

"Master Aqua...Master Terra," Sora greeted with a polite nod to each of them.

"Master Sora," Aqua smiled.

Sora blinked. Did he hear her properly? "What?"

"You've come to this world by yourself to stand here before us, no longer a child, but a proud warrior. A true leader," Terra explained with a proud smile.

"There's nothing left that we can teach you. The journey you have made proves you've earned the Mark of Mastery. From this day forward, you are Master Sora," Aqua announced, also smiling proudly. "Congratulations."

Sora felt like he couldn't breathe. _No way...I'm a master?_ He tried to gather himself but he couldn't keep the wide, toothy smile from his face as he thanked the two profusely, "Thank you so much! I almost can't believe it--I didn't expect--Thank you!"

"You've earned it, Master Sora," Terra assured him as he stepped forward to shake Sora's hand. "Congratulations."

"Yeah, congratulations!" Riku's voice rang through the hall as he, Kairi, and Ven entered from the stairwell.

"Guys!" Sora gasped. "When did you--?"

"Can't believe you ditched us, Sora!" Kairi scolded playfully.

"That's _Master_ Sora now, remember?" Riku reminded her.

"That's right!" Ven grinned.

"Guys..." Sora practically sobbed.

"Pull it together, Sora!" Riku laughed as he and Kairi hurried forward to pull the brunette into a hug.

Sora squeezed his best friends tightly as he laughed along with them. He's done it! He's a keyblade master!


	29. Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two decide to skip town for the winter holidays.

"A pre-Christmas Christmas?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Sora asked excitedly as they finished up their homework for the day. "We have winter break. Let's take a little trip and then we can come back in time to have Christmas with our families."

"Don't tell me...you want to go to--"

"CHRISTMAS TOWN! To see Santa!" Sora bounced happily on his cushion.

"Won't Santa be busy since it's the Christmas season?" the silverette laughed.

"I've already written him!" the brunette grinned widely as he whipped out a messy-looking piece of parchment from his bag to show Riku. "He says we can visit his workshop!"

"You seriously wrote Santa Claus and he answered back?"

"But of course! It'd be rude to just show up. He's very busy."

"Of course," Riku smiled briefly before turning his attention back to his book only to feel Sora's hand squeeze his under the table which caused him to look up again.

"Riku...are you okay?"

The older teen's eyebrows furrowed, "Just a little tired, that's all." Truth to be told, he hasn't been sleeping well. For a while it was getting better but ever since that nightmare he had at Sora's place, he hasn't had any pleasant dreams and every time he wakes up his heart feels troubled. But as to what the trouble was, he wasn't sure.

"All the more reason we should get away, right?" Sora grinned cheekily. "What do ya say, Riku?"

Riku couldn't help chuckling at the irony. Coming back to the islands was supposed to be their break from all the battling and hardship and now they need a break away from their break. "Alright. But is it going to be as cold as Arendelle?"

"Naaaaaaaaah. At least I don't think so."

"That's so comforting," Riku laughed.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Riku left the arrangements up to Sora and for the firs time ever, the two traveled to Halloween Town without the use of the gummi ship which the King needed returned for the holiday season. The two didn't mind too much as they found it was much easier to slip under the radar while using their keyblade vehicles, though Sora insisted on riding on the back of Riku's motorcycle-like glider so he could snuggle him from behind while they rode. While flying through the corridors between worlds, his keyblade vehicle's wheels unfold and spread out to form turbines to enable it to hover whereas on land, the "wheels" rejoin to look like typical tires, enabling it to pass for a sleek, silver, custom motorcycle. Sora could get away with his on water looking like a motorized hoverboard or something, but he definitely can't do anything with his vehicle on land, so by now the two were already used to riding on Riku's together when they couldn't warp. Sora found it cozy and Riku did enjoy having Sora's arms wrapped around him, so neither really felt they had any room to complain.

They arrived in Halloween Town first at Sora's insistence since they didn't get to explore it last time. When they landed and unequipped their armor, Sora was delighted to see a light snowfall was occurring. The only time he's seen in snow in Halloween Town was when Santa gifted it for Christmas. Maybe he's keeping up the tradition this year.

"Haha!" Sora laughed excitedly and grabbed Riku's hand. "Come on, let's go!"

As they walked, Riku looked down at his costume. It was still his Halloween form and with a grin, he remembered what Sora said about how he looked like the Goblin King. "Oh Sora~" he sing-songed.

"Hm?" the brunette stopped and looked at him quizzically.

"You remind me of the babe."

"What babe?"

"Babe with the power~"

Sora covered his other hand with his mouth as he giggled giddily, "What power?"

"Power of voodoo!"

"Who do?"

"You do!"

"Do what?"

"Remind me of the babe!" he laughed and suddenly pulled Sora in close to kiss him deeply, making the vampirish imp's little black wings flutter happily as Sora practically swooned in his arms.

Sora was still giggling even as he parted, his pale face tinted with pink as he clutched the other's shoulders. "Rikuuuu~"

"Is that you, Sora?" a very tall skeleton greeted from across the square.

"Jack!" Sora greeted happily before Riku let him back up, grabbing the other's hand and running to say a proper hello to the Pumpkin King. "Jack! It's been a while!"

"It sure has! It's too bad you missed this year's Halloween! It was spectacular!" Jack regaled. "Oh well, maybe next year! Who's your spooky friend?"

"Oh! Jack, this is Riku! Riku this is Jack Skellington! The Pumpkin King!" Sora introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you!" Jack grinned widely as he extended a long bony hand.

"Pleasure's all mine!" Riku smiled back as he shook the offered hand though the long fingers could've wrapped twice around his wrist if it wanted to.

"Welcome to Halloween Town! Is this your first visit?" Jack asked.

"Yes, it is," he answered, which was partially true. The last time they visited they didn't even go in town, per se, they went straight through the graveyards.

"Oh boy! You're really in for a treat!" the skeleton was practically giddy. "We've got the best horrors you can imagine!"

"The best what now?" Riku's eyes widened.

"Actually, Jack," Sora quickly interrupted. "We were on our way to Christmas Town. Santa said we could come by and visit!"

"Oh, how delightful!" Jack cheered. "Then please, allow me to escort you. I want to hear all about your adventures, Sora. I'm sure you've had a few since I've seen you last."

"Oh, sure!" Sora chuckled.

"And I can tell your friend all about the trouble we've gotten into!" the skeleton chuckled.

"You mean what YOU got us into," Sora corrected.

"Fair enough!"

During a quick tour of Halloween Town Square and the long passage through many a graveyard, Sora told Jack vaguely about a few of the adventures he and Riku had together, especially the ones that he knew would hold his interest, like fighting giant ghost heartless and the like. He still had to protect the world order so he didn't give him too much detail. All the while, the skeleton's empty eye sockets were wide with excitement and Sora could already see the pumpkin king was already getting ideas for his next Halloween extravaganza. By the time they reached the woods where the doors to the different holiday worlds were gathered, Jack had told Riku all about the adventures he and Sora have had together. "You know Sora here is quite a dancer!"

"Yes, I know," Riku smirked. "But he still hasn't shown me all of his moves yet. Perhaps you can enlighten me?"

"WHAT?"

"I'd be delighted to!" Jack exclaimed happily as he grabbed Sora's wrist.

"WAIT, JACK!"

"Prepare to scream!" Jack shouted before spinning Sora into a pirouette to perform their Limit, Dance Call! In a whirlwind of spooktacular things, each took turns leaping into the air summoning visions of pumpkins, ghosts, and bats before Jack throws Sora into the air one more time to perform a backflip and finishing off with Sora landing on the ground with an explosion of sparks all around them.

"Wow, that is something!" Riku applauded.

"I wasn't ready!" Sora blushed as Jack enjoyed the praise.

"Magnificent performance as always! Thank you, thank you~" Jack grinned broadly with a long, sweeping, bow. "You should join in our scare performance next year, Sora!"

"I'll think about it, Jack!" the brunette chuckled nervously. "Oh look, we're here!" he suddenly pointed to all the holiday doors.

Riku took in the sight of the different trees, some of the doors he didn't recognize. "What's the turkey supposed to represent?"

"Dunno," Jack shrugged. "But the one you're looking for is THAT ONE!"

Sora was already eagerly running for the door with the Christmas tree on it. "Oh boy, I can't wait!"

"Thanks for walking with us, Jack. It was nice to meet you!" Riku offered his hand to shake Jack's once more.

"My pleasure, Riku! You two be careful, now. You're welcome back any--"

"WHOAAAAAAAAA!!" Sora's cries interrupted them as they turned to see he had already fallen into the door.

"Time...I guess you better go after him!" Jack chortled.

"Yeah, I better. See you around, Jack!" Riku waved before diving after Sora and the door closing shut behind him.

When he landed, he found himself landing in a large snow drift on top of Sora, who let out a loud OOF beneath him.

"RIKU! You're heavy!" Sora complained as he squirmed beneath him in the snow.

Riku laughed before standing up and helping Sora off the ground. "That first step is a doozy."

"Hehe, that's half the fun!" Sora cheered.

"Wait, your costume changed!" Riku pointed out.

"So did yours!" Sora laughed. Sora was now dressed in his black Santa-esque costume with white fur trim and silver crown buttons. His skin was still as pale as ever and now his thin limbs were especially noticeable. Riku was wearing something similar but the coat was now the length of a duster and instead of crown clasps, he had hearts.

"But isn't this Christmas Town? Why do you still look so spooky?" Riku asked.

"Spooky?" Sora tilted his head.

"Yeah, you look like a twig!" the elder teen held up Sora's spindly wrist.

"Don't ask me, I'm not the one who cast the original spell!" Sora pouted.

"At least you still look cute," Riku grinned as he leaned forward to leave a little kiss on the tip of Sora's cold nose, which made the brunette giggle appreciatively.

"And you're still pretty," Sora grinned, fleeing just as Riku picked up a chunk of snow to throw at him.

The two fought playfully in the snow for a few minutes before they proceeded to venture into the colorful and brightly lit town. Sopping wet and cheeks rosy from their time outside and in the snow, the two were already looking forward to warming up as they held each other's gloved hands. The smell of cakes and pies wafted through the air, whetting their appetites as their eyes were drawn to the sweets on display in the shop windows. Everything was beautifully lit and festive, especially the merry-go-round in the town square which Sora eagerly ran to. "This was broken the last time I was here!" he explained. "We definitely have to ride it later!"

"Sure," Riku smiled. "So where's Santa's workshop?"

"Over there!" Sora pointed to a large red building with a small residence in front of it. Through the curtained window they could see a plump woman walking around in her living room and Riku swore he could hear a booming laugh coming from inside the house. From the laugh alone he could already imagine a man with a long white beard in a rocking chair by the fire checking over a long list. "I told him we'd visit tomorrow, though. I wanted us to have time to check out the town!" the brunette explained.

The town was indeed bustling and cheery, its residents were excitedly chattering about the upcoming holiday while they shopped for gifts and stocked up on ingredients for their holiday meals. Scattered about they could hear children talking about the gifts they hoped Santa would bring while they prepared for snowball fights or made snowmen. Some were even decorating trees in front of their houses. Nearby he could see an ice skating rink and Riku had to step aside as a mechanical polar bear commuted a group of elves to the workshop for their shift. It was a lot to take in all at once but it filled the two of them with festive cheer that warmed them both very quickly.

Riku got the occasional stare as he towered over nearly every resident there, but when they looked up, they all smiled at him and he couldn't help smiling back. Everybody was just so happy and full of laughter here, it was contagious. But even as festive as it was, the bright lights reminded him of less than pleasant things that had him shaking his head so he could go back to focusing on other things, like how happy Sora looked. Sora was tall compared to everybody else, too, but unlike Riku, he didn't have to lean down to fit in the doorways. So when it came time for them to shop, Riku waited outside and pointed to what he wanted while Sora went in, his hat barely brushing the low ceilings. When Sora came back out with the cartons of treats, Riku couldn't help asking, "So where are we staying?"

"In a cabin!" Sora replied simply as he tried not to drool over the packages in his arms.

"Is it a cabin like...one of these?" Riku nodded towards the other little houses, now worried that he's going to come out of this little vacation with a back ache.

"No no!" Sora laughed. "It's not elf-sized, I promise!"

"Well that's a relief," Riku chuckled. "Need help with those?"

"You might need to carry the meat pies. The smell is torturing me!" Sora whined.

"You got it!" the elder teen laughed as he grabbed the carton from on top of the pile Sora was carrying. "Should we head there now and eat?"

"Yeah! Follow me!" Sora led the way with a happy bounce in his step that threatened to jostle the food items in his care.

The cabin Sora led them too wasn't too far outside of town, just far enough that Christmas Town looked like a picturesque Christmas card from the window and there were undecorated conifer trees scattered about. Much to Riku's relief, the cabin was indeed normal-sized, judging by the red door whose height stood a few comfortable inches above his head. The front of the cabin itself was decorated with a wreath and strung with tiny white fairy lights that twinkled and blinked. Inside, it was a simple layout with a fireplace, cozy living room, kitchen with a small dining room, and one bedroom with master bathroom. It was all very simple but decorated with splashes of festive items here and there, such as stockings on the fireplace, a small live tree in the corner with boxes of decorations just waiting to be hung up, red candles on the table, a basket of scented pine cones by the door, and so on. In the kitchen there was even a plate piled high with decorated cookies to welcome them to the cabin along with two mugs in the shape of a snowman and reindeer with packets of hot cocoa powder for their enjoyment. 

"What do you think?" Sora asked as he hung up his coat, his form now suddenly changing back to normal.

"It's cozy," Riku smiled as he also hung up his coat, now back to his normal gear as well.

Once the two set down their purchases, they decided to get settled in by changing into much more appropriate clothing, which included sweat pants and knit sweaters, a blue one with a snowman on it for Riku and a red one with a reindeer for Sora! In no time at all, they used fire magic to get the fireplace going and sat at the table to enjoy the food they had purchased: a couple of savory meat pies with generous portions of iced sugar cake.

Once they finished, they curiously checked out the boxes of decorations next to the small tree and couldn't help themselves as they got to work decorating it with the provided lights and baubles, with Riku occasionally trying to wrap Sora in the twinkling lights instead.

"Riku! I'm not the tree!" Sora laughed.

"Oh right, my bad. You're the star, aren't you?" Riku joked as he lifted Sora over his shoulder and made like he was going to put him at the top of the tree.

"NOOO!! PUT ME DOWN!" Sora flailed giddily. "RIKUUUU!"

By the time they were finished, it was already evening and starting to get a little chilly in the cabin, even with the roaring fire. So the two made themselves some hot cocoa and curled together beneath a blanket in front of the tree so they could stare up and admire their work. Warm and content, the two cuddled close with Sora nuzzling his face into the warmth of Riku's soft sweater.

"I'm glad we did this," Riku murmured quietly as he tilted his head to rest on top of Sora's.

"Mmm...me too," Sora hummed happily.

"Are you falling asleep?" Riku asked.

"Maybe. Are you?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "What to go to bed?"

"Nnn...yeah...might as well. I have a whole day for us planned tomorrow," Sora grinned as he lifted his head to kiss Riku.

"Mm, can't wait," Riku smiled back as he returned the soft kiss.


	30. Visions of Salt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku's woken up.

It was dark and cloudy. Not a star was to be seen in the big black sky as Riku wandered through a maze of fallen statues with nothing but a flaming torch to light his way. The way the statue pieces glimmered under the light suggested they weren't made of marble and as he reached out to touch one of them, it felt almost grainy under his fingers. "Salt?"

A rumbling came from the sky overhead so he hurried to find an awning of some sort to keep his torch dry. As rain slowly began to fall, he saw the littered and destroyed statues begin to dissolve partially. Delicate features like fingers melted away from hands, eyes and noses faded away entirely, and more statues could be heard crumbling as their structures fell apart. Beside him on the ground there was a lone statue that had fallen forward underneath the protection of the awning he had taken shelter under. Its broken hands outstretched as if it had either crawled there or tried to catch itself.

Riku lifted his torch higher to cast more light over the fallen statue, his curiosity getting the better of him. But the moment he did, he instantly regretted it as he made out a familiar head of spiky hair.

"Don't tell me..."

With a heavy heart he slowly walked over to the statue and attempted to lift so that he could see what was left of its face.

It was Sora.

He felt his heart stop as he took in the expression of carved into the statue's face, eyes closed and head turned up as if conceding to a terrible fate. Riku felt a sob escape him as the face reminded him of the same expression Starlight Sora wore before he was frozen before his very eyes. Come to think of it, he hadn't dreamed of the star sprite since then. "I know it's just a dream, but somehow you've always felt more than that," Riku muttered softly as he grazed a thumb along the statue's cheek. "What does this all mean? If anything at all?"

Suddenly the awning he was standing under began to rumble as it began to collapse under its own weight. He hurried to get out of the way just as it fell, his torch put out by the rain and his world went dark.

Riku shot up from the warmth of the bed he shared with Sora only to be instantly hit with a chill from the cold night air. He was panting hard and his heart was pounding in his ears. He looked to the side to see Sora was still sleeping undisturbed, much to his relief. With a sigh, he wiped the sleep from his eyes and ghosted a hand through Sora's hair as he watched the teen sleep for a few more moments while his heart settled. "I'll be right back," he whispered, leaning down to leave the softest of kisses on Sora's brow before carefully crawling out of bed to go to the living room.

As much as he wanted to just hold Sora and go back to sleep, his mind was still racing. The buzzing in the back of his head was back in full force as he tried to grasp at the parts of the dream that he could remember. "It's pointless," he grumbled as he grabbed the blanket off the couch from earlier and sat on the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace to stare at its last remaining embers. The coals were still white hot so there was a little warmth left but it was nothing compared to the warmth of being with Sora in bed. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to re-light it. It just didn't seem to be worth the effort.

"I'm so tired..."

Sora woke up to find the bed feeling chilly only to realize it's because Riku isn't in the bed with him. "Riku...?" he mumbled blearily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He didn't see a light coming from the adjoining bathroom, so he knew Riku wasn't in there. With a sleepy frown, he turned out of bed, tucking his feet into some soft slippers before slipping on his sweater and padding out of the room only to find the elder teen sitting in front of the sad remains of the fire.

As he approached, he could already tell Riku was half-asleep as he still hadn't been alerted to his presence and his eyes reflecting the last of the fire's embers were a very dark green. "Riku?" he asked softly as he squat down next to the taller teen. "Are you okay?"

Riku didn't even turn his head to look at him. "Yeah. Fine. Couldn't sleep, is all."

"Is that all?" the brunette asked quietly as he reached up to stroke the side of Riku's face to find his skin was frigid. "Riku, you're so cold."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not!" Sora huffed with dismay as he hurried to throw a log into the fireplace and lit it properly with another fire spell, all while Riku watched with a faraway look in his eyes. Once it's started, he scooches in close behind Riku and spoons his back, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around him and settling into his back.

"What are you doing?" Riku finally gave a small smile as his hands drifted over the ones clutching his middle.

"Warming you up," the smaller teen insisted as he nuzzled his face in between Riku's shoulder blades. "Is it working?"

"Sora..."

"Come on, Riku..." Sora sighed. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. But if nothing else, at least let me take care of you."

"Hm?"

"And besides, you're my dream eater! I'm supposed to spoil you, aren't I?" Sora asked as he moved his hands to rub Riku's back gently, earning a shudder from the taller teen.

"I guess?" Riku gave a half smile as he gave in to Sora's cuddles and leaned back into his touches.

Pleased that Riku seems to be surrendering, Sora gleefully wrapped his arms around Riku again and felt the other slide down so that his head rested against his chest. The movement allowed for Sora to nuzzle his face into Riku's soft, silver mane and sigh contently as he held him close. He could already feel Riku relaxing and soon both their legs were stretched out to warm their toes by the fireplace. Eventually Riku sunk deeper and deeper in Sora's arms so that he was now resting in between his legs with his head nestled in Sora's thighs offering Sora a prime opportunity to brush his fingers through his hair. As he did so, he gently raked the tips of his fingernails through his scalp, earning an appreciative shudder from Riku. "So...you going to tell me what it is?"

Riku sighed quietly, "I would...but even I'm not sure what it is, exactly."

"Whatever it is, I can tell it's hurting you. So it must be something."

The teen finally decided to give in. Sora has gotten his way once again. "Remember that nightmare I had when I slept over at your place?"

"Yeah?"

"I guess I'm still thinking about it."

"Oh, I see."

"As much as I want to believe it's not real and that it was nothing but a nightmare, I can't shake off the feeling that it's more than that," he murmured quietly as he fingered the soft cloth of Sora's pajama pants.

"If it's causing you this much pain, it might be..."

"And there's something else...but I don't know how to explain it without it sounding strange."

"Hm?"

Even without seeing it, Riku could imagine the cute head tilt that followed that adorable hum of Sora's. "You asked me once before...what I dream about?"

"Twice."

"Yeah, twice," Riku smiled. "And do you remember what I said both times?"

"Me and that you don't remember."

"Right. Well when you were asleep a year ago..." he paused. He couldn't believe he was admitting to this but it was too late to stop now.

"Go on."

He proceeded cautiously, "I dreamed of you. It kept me company while you were asleep. It's you but somehow different. He doesn't even speak but he tells me things that I think you would say."

"I think I get it. It's like there's a version of me that lives in your heart," Sora smiled.

"Yeah...yeah I guess that's one way of putting it," Riku's eyebrows raised in realization. "I think that's what he tells me too. Whenever I have questions, he points to my heart and just smiles at me."

"Sounds about right," the brunette chuckled.

"But it's strange...he's you and he's not you at the same time. So when I had that nightmare, I wasn't sure who I was seeing. Was it you or was it him getting hurt?" Even though it hurt as he spoke about this, somehow he was already feeling better, knowing now that Sora knows and maybe even understands?

"I think I understand."

"You do?" Riku glanced up hopefully.

"Yeah, no wonder you can't sleep. That sounds very confusing!"

Riku groaned and bit into Sora's thigh playfully, "I'm being serious!"

"AGH! HEY! I am too, I promise!" Sora laughed. "Anyway, I think there's something I should tell you. I kept it to myself before because I didn't want you to worry. I thought if you didn't know that it wouldn't hurt you. But now I see that isn't the case."

"What is it?" He had a feeling Sora might've known something he wasn't letting on that night but he didn't blame him for not telling him anything. He wouldn't have been in the right state to receive such information anyway.

"It's...complicated. This really isn't the kind of conversation I thought we'd be having during Christmas."

"Technically Christmas is still a few days away, so why not?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Sora snickered. "Alright. So...remember when I said I brought you guys back?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Okay, well when I did that, it caused a tear that split into two timelines. One where we all fell and one where we didn't. When Xigbar and Bob grabbed me and kept me from coming back with Kairi, I think it tore again. As I told you, I wasn't meant to come back with her. But Xigbar grabbing me and you rescuing me saved me from fading away."

"So that means there's a timeline where you did fade away after all?"

"Right. It's just like Bob said. He even showed me a vision where that's the case. Somehow I ended up in the Final World again and I was confronted by a man with blue and red eyes. I recognize him as Yozora from a video game that's popular in another world I've visited. And though I'm not entirely sure, I think it's implied I lose the fight. But what happens afterwards, I dunno. I just know I felt very cold."

Riku gripped Sora's thigh harder, grimacing as his stomach did awful backflips. "So my dream...it might have actually happened?"

Sora's brows furrowed in thought. "I think our hearts are still connected to each other, even over the different timelines. Maybe the timelines are all connected SOMEWHERE."

"And that's why you let that dark crystal copy of you take a piece of your heart with it? To the Final World?"

The brunette resumed running his fingers through Riku's hair. "Yes. If there's really a Riku out there looking for a Sora, wishing with all his heart that I'm still out there...maybe he'll find him. Maybe that piece of me will help. And maybe...maybe that's why we both feel these things so deeply."

"Yeah...that very nearly could've been us," Riku sighed.

"We could think of it that way, or we could think of them one day becoming us, just like this. If we hope and cheer them on, I'm sure they'll be together again. And maybe that's where the timelines will join once more...when they're reunited."

"Yeah...yeah, I think you're right," the elder teen smiled, Sora's soothing touches and optimistic words finally having an effect.

"In the meantime," Sora grinned. "Anything else I can do to help you feel better?"

"Hmmmmmmmm...you could spoil me a bit more if you want," Riku also grinned.

"Oh don't worry, I will. But we should probably go back to bed," the brunette yawned.

"Can we stay here?" Riku asked. "I'm already too comfortable to move."

"I'm glad YOU'RE comfortable!" Sora laughed.

"What, you telling me you aren't enjoying this?" the other snickered as he playfully bit Sora's thigh again.

"AH! Watch it! I need that leg."

"It's my leg now!" Riku laughed as he gripped said leg a little more tightly to illustrate his point.

"Rikuuuuuuuuuuuu! At least let me grab the pillows!"

"You have thirty seconds or I'm falling asleep without you. Starting now."

"Okay okay!" Sora hurried to disentangle himself from Riku while the silverette counted down. Sure enough by the time he got back with the pillows from the bedroom, Riku was already curled up on the rug beneath the quilt as if he had already fallen asleep. "No fair, my thirty seconds were definitely not up!" Sora snickered quietly before kneeling and stuffing a pillow under Riku's head carefully before setting another one down for himself and scooching in behind him to burrow under the same blanket in a spoon hold. "Good night, Riku."


	31. Snowballs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Sora throw snowballs _and_ throw their heads.

The two must've slept in for quite a while because when Riku awoke, it wasn't the birds or the sun that awoke him but the smell of butter on a frying pan and the sound of a whisk being tossed in a bowl. He rolled over with a groan and a slightly stiff back to see Sora making breakfast while still in his sweater and red flannel pajama pants.

Sora heard him groan and turned around to say "Good morning, Riku!" before quickly turning back around so he could flip a giant pancake using only the pan, the cake landing perfectly with a satisfying SLAP on its other side.

"Morning," Riku greeted back before letting out a long yawn and pulling the blanket back over his head. "It's cold," he muttered.

"Feels warm to me."

"That's because you're cooking," Riku pointed out.

"Then put the fire back on, silly," Sora snickered.

"How about you just forget breakfast and come back here next to me instead," Riku suggested.

"Who are you and what have you done with Riku?" the brunette asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Riku's on holiday," the silverette said simply. "Besides, you said you were spoiling me."

"I am. With breakfast first!" Sora grinned. "Still like your bacon crispy, right?"

"Mm-hmm," the older teen hummed as he lazily summoned Braveheart to light the fire again.

"Well breakfast is almost done, so you might as well get up."

"Make me," Riku stuck his tongue out playfully.

"Fine, I guess you'll starve. You know I can eat both plates if I want to!" Sora threatened. When he turned around again, Riku noticed he was wearing a frilly white apron with a giant red heart in the center.

"You're going to threaten me while wearing THAT?"

"I found it in the kitchen! Pancakes are messy. Now are you going to get up or am I going to eat by myself?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Riku chuckled, kicking the quilt off of himself to make a pass through the kitchen so he could grab Sora's butt on the way to the dining table.

"EEEP! RIKU!" the brunette jumped with a loud squeak.

"If breakfast is good, I'll grab your butt again AND give you a kiss," Riku winked.

"Oh yeah? And if I burn yours?" Sora threatened.

"Then I'll spank you instead," the other snickered.

"Oh shush, you!" Sora blushed as he hurried to put the finishing touches on both their plates. For each of them he's prepared a serving of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and pancakes in the shape of--

"Lucky emblems? Really, Sora?" Riku looked down.

"Think if we take a picture we'll get post cards?" Sora asked as he removed the frilly apron and took a seat.

"I don't think that's how that works," the older teen laughed, but he did take a picture for Kingstagram. <#3BestBF <#3Breakfast <#3HappyHolidays <#3LuckyEmblem?

Sora went the extra mile with his pancakes and even used the syrup dispenser to draw Mickey's face (terribly) on his his pancakes before diving in, making pleased noises for his own cooking. By the time Sora was finished drawing his little masterpiece, Riku was already halfway through his stack of pancakes and the turkey bacon had vanished. "Hungry?" Sora asked cheekily.

"I can't help it. It's very good," Riku praised. "Thank you."

"Hehe, you're welcome," Sora smiled happily around a cheek full of pancake.

Once they were both finished with their breakfast, Riku took up the dishes and began washing them, prompting Sora to come in from behind and snake his arms around his waist. "Feeling better?"

Riku turned just enough to lean his head down and kiss Sora sweetly, "Yes, thank you." He then proceeded to pull a wet hand out of the sink to grab Sora's ass again.

"AAAHHH!! RIKU!" Sora swatted him. "Now my butt's wet!"

Riku cackled, "Worth it!"

"Oh yeah? Well you got something on your face."

"Huh? Where?" Riku turned around and was met with a flick of flour from Sora's fingers all over the middle of his face and inside his mouth. "PBBBT! You're going to pay for that!"

"ONLY IF YOU CATCH ME!" Sora laughed before fleeing the kitchen.

"YOU KNOW I WILL!" Riku shouted after him before turning off the water to give chase! But when he thought he caught up to Sora in the bedroom, all he found was an open window and the curtains fluttering in the wind. When he looked out, he found Sora had jumped outside in nothing but his sweater, slippers, and flannel pajamas and was already making snowballs. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

"Try catching me now!" the brunette dared as he threw a snowball at Riku, nearly pelting him in the face but it hit the windowsill instead, only barely spraying him in the face with the splash.

"Oh now you're getting it!" Riku threatened, grabbing a blue bathrobe and throwing it on and also diving out the window to give chase.

"AHHH!!! RIKU! YOU'RE NOT EVEN WEARING SHOES!" Sora shrieked as he ran.

"Don't need them cuz I'm going to catch you really quick!" Riku shouted back as he made chase, dashing through the snow while leaning down to scoop up snow to throw at Sora. "Get over here!"

"NO WAY!" Sora shouted as he flowmotioned up a tree and tossed more snow at Riku's face.

Riku brushed the snow away and chucked more snowballs at Sora, "Are you seriously going to make me chase you on a full stomach?"

"Hehe! Maybe!" the brunette grinned cheekily as he aimed another snowball. But just as he was about to throw, an angry nest of cardinals started swooping at his head. "WHOA! AAAH!! I'M SORRY!" he cried out as he covered his head, losing his balance so that he fell back from the branch he was perched on...right into Riku's waiting arms.

"Caught you!" Riku sneered smugly.

"W-wait, let's talk about this!" Sora begged but Riku wasn't having it as he was then suddenly tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried back inside the cabin. "WAIT, RIKU! Put me down!"

"Oh don't worry, I will!" Riku cackled as he closed the door with his foot and carried the flailing teen back to the bedroom where he threw him onto the bed and then jumped in after him.

"Oof! Rikuuuuu!" Sora whined as the other began assaulting his neck with kisses and starting slipping his fingers beneath his sweater.

"What? I'm just helping you get out of your wet clothes~" Riku insisted as he peeled Sora's sweater off.

"Riku! The window's still open!"

"Guess we're just going to have to keep each other warm, then," Riku teased as he nibbled on Sora's neck.

"Rikuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."

"Fine, don't you move," Riku warned, kissing the tip of Sora's nose before getting up to close the window. But no sooner had he pushed the window back down, Sora was rolling out of the bed and making a run for the door. But Riku was there in a flash, ready to scoop him back up again. "Sorry!" he grinned before slamming Sora back down into the bed. "Now you're really in for it! You're on the naughty list now!"

"No, not that!" Sora squealed just as Riku swooped in to capture his mouth to silence him. "Mmmm!" he moaned into the other's mouth as he pawed at the other's robe and blue flannel pajama shirt as the cold fabric felt chilly against his own bare chest.

Eventually clothes were discarded from both parties and left on the floor. Tongues hungrily dueled for dominance as their hands gripped and explored each other. Moans and small gasps filled the room as they pawed, tugged, nipped, and kissed at each other. Despite the physical activity from earlier, neither were letting up as they both tried to gain control, moans evolving into playful growls as they gripped each other harder, each trying to get the other to give in. Even when Sora finally pinned Riku down, it became apparent that this bed was not the appropriate size for the kind of play wrestling they were participating in as Riku's head hung over the edge while Sora straddled his waist.

"Wait, Sora! Let me up!" Riku demanded as he felt the blood rush to his head.

"Nuh-uh, you stay there," Sora grinned, thinking maybe Riku will get a head rush as he was about to bend down and suck on one of Riku's already perky nipples. But then strong hands suddenly gripped his hips and yanked him upwards so that not only was HE over the edge, his palms were flat on the floor as half his body was hanging off the bed and the other half was over Riku. "Wh-whoa, wait!"

"I don't think so," Riku grinned slyly as Sora's cock lined up with his face perfectly, allowing him to take the hard appendage into his mouth to suck on while Sora was completely at his mercy.

"N-no fair!" the brunette moaned as he tried to use his lower muscles to lift himself up, but Riku's mouth was still on him and he wasn't about to risk pulling out and hurting either of them. His arms trembled as his hands held him up from the floor, moaning as Riku's tongue easily slid against the underside of his shaft and teased him thoroughly. "R-Riku!"

As thrilling as this was, he knew any longer and the two would probably bust the blood vessels in their faces so Riku allowed Sora to slip out of his mouth before using all of his abdominal strength to lift them BOTH up and slammed Sora back down on the mattress with enough force to make Sora's body bounce on the bed with a springy thump. "You're making me work too hard," the silverette growled before swooping back in to straddle Sora's hips, pinning him down while he recovered from yet another head rush while he bucked his hardened length against Sora's.

Sora landed with an OOMF, eyes tightly closed as he recovered from his own dizzying head rush only to open his eyes and take in the sight of Riku's flushed and toned body grinding against his own. His beautiful skin was covered in a sheen of sweat that accentuated his toned muscles that flexed and rippled while the other ground himself into Sora. The sight left him breathless and almost dizzy, or maybe that was the head rush again. Either way, it prompted Sora to say, "You're so pretty like this~"

"Wh-what?" Riku froze, eyes wide as he heard Sora speak and cheeks instantly turning pink. It was only for a moment, but it was enough for Sora to suddenly reach and grab his left wrist which made him still his movements entirely in surprise. In a flash he found himself on his back against the pillows and now Sora was the one on top!

"I said...mmmm..." Sora moaned as he gyrated his hips into Riku's. "You look so gorgeous when you ride me like that," the brunette practically purred as he gave Riku a dark, half-lidded stare while he ground his engorged length against Riku's. He was so close and he adored the look of the breathless man pinned beneath him. It gave him a rush like no other as he pushed himself harder and faster, his hands slipping behind Riku's back to gently rake his fingernails down his back as he held him tightly to ground himself.

Sora's sultry gaze and erotic words threw Riku off guard in a way that lit another intense fire in his middle. His length THROBBED almost painfully at Sora's words and his heart pounded hard in his chest with such a rush, such a thrill, that it fueled a second wind. His spine arched as fingers raked deliciously down his back, not enough to be painful but enough to elicit shivers that had him growling yet again as he reached his own hands up and returned the favor. As his fingertips dragged down Sora's back where he knew his sensitive scars were, he felt the other teen stiffen and throw his head back, eyes practically rolling in the back of his head as he moaned which gave him the opening to roll and flip Sora onto his back again. Now back on top, he gripped Sora's hips and resumed the pace he had established earlier. "You're going to look so beautiful with my cock in you," he whispered in a low voice between panting breaths.

Sora let out a sob as he wrapped his limbs tightly around Riku, the bed shaking from the force of his bucking hips. "W-when?" he begged as they pressed almost impossibly close, the friction of their lengths facilitated by how dripping wet that had both become. They could both feel it. They were so close!

"Soon, baby, don't worry," he assured him as he leaned in and wrapped his arms tightly around Sora, his hips never once stopping their movements as he managed to whisper, "One day I'll give it to you. I'll give you everything you could ever possibly want and more."

The sultry promise in his hear was too much for Sora to take! He felt something deep inside him SNAP and suddenly liquid hot pleasure felt like it was gushing out of every nerve ending in his body, out of every pore, every fiber of his being. "A-a-ah! Riku! RIKU!" he cried as as he held on for dear life, his own hips stilling as he shuddered violently from the force of his release.

"A-ah-aaahhh! UNH...YES!" Riku moaned as he gave one last thrust into Sora's body and gushed his own release to join Sora's between them, his whole body shaking hard as he became temporarily blinded by the stars in his eyes. Then suddenly he felt the exhaustion in his limbs all at once and tried to disentangle himself from Sora before he collapsed on top of him, but Sora's limbs were still locked in place, unyielding as he continued to tremble and shiver hard from the aftereffects of his orgasm, so he allowed himself to relax on top of him in a sweaty heap.

"Riku...Riku..." Sora whispered the other's name over and over until the other finally lifted his head and they captured each other's mouths to kiss languidly as they recovered from their high. Their bodies were slick with sweat and the evidence of their pleasure but neither found that they really cared as they reveled in their closeness. Their fingers lazily traced over each other's trembling limbs and cupped each other's faces as they caught their breath. Their hearts pounded against each other's as they slowly stopped racing and began to relax.

"Sora..." Riku whispered adoringly, swallowing hard before giving in to more lazy kisses until Sora finally loosened his grip and allowed him to pull away so he could collapse beside him on the bed. But even as they separated, his hand reached for Sora's and the two entwined their fingers while they laid and stared at the ceiling as they waited for the fog to clear from their heads.

"Shower?" Sora finally asked.

"Bath, I think," Riku suggested.

"Bath later," Sora shot down. "We still have a whole day planned."

"I need a nap."

"Nap later."

"Soraaaaaaaaa..."

"Rikuuuuuuuuu..."

"Do you really think you can look Santa in the face after what we just did?" Riku looked over at the still flush teen with a smirk. "If we weren't on the naughty list before, we definitely are now."


	32. Reindeer Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku have a day out in Christmas Town and visit Santa Claus!

By the time the two were out and about it was already late noon and a fresh layer of snow had covered the yard surrounding the cabin, completely smoothing over the mess they had made in it earlier when they played in it that morning. The fresh blanket was too tempting for Sora who immediately went over to a sparkling patch of newly fallen snow and FLOPPED into it to wave his arms and legs up and down.

"What are you doing?" Riku laughed. "You're going to get wet!"

"Making a snow angel!" Sora explained. "Now help me up!"

Riku rolled his eyes playfully but he offered a hand and pulled Sora to his feet so they both could admire his handiwork. "I don't know if that's a snow angel. Your hat makes it look like a snow gremlin with wings," the silverette commented.

"Psh, spoilsport. Come on, let's make as snowman before we go into town!"

The two made quick work of rolling up a very large snowman and taking selfies with it, even making it two other friends before they decided to head into town. The streets were already bustling with people shopping and preparing for the upcoming holiday and Sora couldn't help feeling bouncy as he heard everybody around him chattering happily as they went about their business. As they passed the town square, he saw the ice skating rink was open and grabbed Riku's hand to drag him in that direction. "Come on, let's try it!"

"I told you before, I don't even know how to skate!" Riku protested as he was dragged along.

"You skated just fine in the Symphony of Sorcery!" the brunette reminded him as he went to the skate rental booth.

"Yeah, but we were wearing shoes!" the silverette retorted. "It's not the same thing!"

"It's pretty close! Just think of it like flowmotion!" the teen encouraged as he shoved a pair of ice skates into Riku's hands and led him to the bench by his elbow so they could put them on.

Riku went along with it, but he was already getting nervous. "Flowmotion usually doesn't involve attaching sharp blades under my feet."

"Don't worry! If you fall, I'll catch you!" Sora promised as he laced up his own skates. For the record it DID feel a lot more different than the ice blade form change he did with his keyblade, but he wasn't about to tell Riku that. So when the silverette was ready, he held his hand to help keep him steady as they both wobbled to the rink and stepped inside. "Just hold onto the wall until you get started. I'm right here," he coaxed while skating backwards to keep an eye on Riku until he got the hang of it. "See, you got it!"

"I haven't even moved five feet, give me a second!" Riku grumbled as he tried to get the hang of it. But as he scooched along, he could see Sora wasn't exactly as skilled as he made himself out to be either. "It's much different than having magic skates, isn't it?" he smirked knowingly.

"No!" the brunette protested as he wobbled a bit. "I'm perfectly fine!"

"Turn back around before you hurt yourself," Riku laughed as he grabbed Sora's hand and the two held each other steady as they got the hang of it together. Soon they were skating in a circle with the rest of the villagers and were able to look up at the giant decorated tree in the center without feeling the need to look down at their feet every two seconds. Eventually they were even confident enough to bring out the gummi phones and take more pictures of themselves as they enjoyed the afternoon. <#3IslandersOnIce <#3Skating <#3XmasTown

Before they knew it, their skate rental period was over and they had to turn them in just as the ice rink was filled with a crowd of penguins who were practicing for their upcoming Holiday Extravaganza performance. As Riku watched them pile into the rink, he couldn't help taking another picture for kingstagram. <#3FigureSkatingPenguins <#3DoYourBest

Afterwards they headed back to the square, hand in hand as they listened to the cheery carolers and took in the sights of all the decorations that were still being put up. As they looked around, Sora noticed the merry-go-round was empty and dragged Riku over only to realize that they were BOTH now too big for it.

"Aww!" Sora deflated.

"What?" Riku laughed. "Don't tell me now you're upset about being taller?"

"I just don't remember it being this small up close!"

"Well, you have your own merry-go-round, right?" Riku asked. Sora deflated even further, earning a raised eyebrow from the taller teen. "Right?" he asked again gently.

"Ever since I fought Bob on my own it's been hard to...never mind," Sora turned away. "Let's just do something else."

"Wait, Sora!" Riku held his hand firmly so he couldn't walk away. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's fine, really. I mean we're not fighting anymore, right? So what if it's a little harder for me to do what I used to? It doesn't mean I can't get better!" the brunette forced an optimistic smile. "Come on, let's get something to eat!" he insisted as he starting dragging Riku along again.

The two bought some warm salted pretzels and bought tickets for a train ride around the mountains instead which gave them a great view of the countryside as well as the rest of the cute villages from the warmth and comfort of the festive locomotive where they enjoyed hot chocolate to go along with their sight-seeing. As they came around the mountainside, they caught sight of a bunch of kids with homemade sleds preparing themselves to ride down the snowy hill and Sora chuckled wistfully. "Are you having fun, Riku?"

Riku smiled softly, "I am. Where'd that come from?"

"I dunno, I guess I was a little surprised when you agreed to this trip."

"Well, you really seemed like you wanted to go."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Well how could I pass up the chance to meet Santa Claus?" Riku smirked.

"Heh, do you remember when you told me that he wasn't real?"

"Hm, not really."

"Santa reminded me that you were the one who told me. It got me thinking."

"Wait, he knew about that?"

"Yeah! Santa knows almost everything!" Sora grinned. "But anyway, I thought it was kinda weird when you told me that he didn't exist."

"Why's that? Most kids do stop believing in Santa eventually."

"Yeah, but you were only nine and I was eight! You were the one who believed there were other worlds, bigger places out there, even when it seemed unlikely to the rest of us. And yet you're the first one to tell me Santa isn't real. I always wondered what prompted it."

"I actually stayed up all night and saw my parents put the gifts out and eat the cookies," Riku said simply.

"YOU DID!? But Riku! Everybody knows if you don't sleep Santa doesn't come!" Sora gasped dramatically.

"I had to see! For science!"

"Oh Riku!" the brunette laughed.

"And you believed so easily, too!" Riku laughed.

"Well of course I did! If you told me, then it must've been true!" Sora grinned.

"And how's that worked out for you?" the silverette leaned in.

Sora leaned in too. "Hasn't led me wrong yet, at least not too badly," the brunette grinned cheekily before leaning all the way in to kiss Riku softly.

"You're such a sap," Riku whispered against his lips before giving another kiss.

Sora's grin never ceased as he returned the kiss, "And you're a...dork."

"Heh, that's the best you could come up with?" the elder teen smirked.

"Shut up," Sora scoffed playfully before kissing him again.

After their whimsical choo choo train ride, the two were back in Christmas Town with a couple of hours to spare before their visit to Santa. As Riku looked around, he suddenly had a realization. "Does Santa ever receive any gifts?"

"Huh?" Sora blinked before tilting his head thoughtfully. "Hmm...do milk and cookies count?"

"Those are just for the parents to snack on while they carry out their grand scheme," Riku snorted.

"Well maybe they had to snack on them themselves because YOU stayed up all night, RIKU! Your parents just didn't want you to be disappointed!" Sora huffed.

Riku sneered and poked Sora in the side, earning a squeak from the brunette before continuing, "Look, all of that aside, it'd be rude to show up without a gift, right?"

"Well, I did bring a bunch of sea shells from the islands as souvenirs. But maybe we can pick up something else here, too! In fact, I have an idea~"

"I can't wait to hear it," Riku crossed his arms with amusement.

"How about we play a little game while we shop? First we'll find a gift for Santa and then we find a gift for each other, but on a budget!"

"What kind of gift?"

"I dunno, something creative! We'll vote on who got each other the best gift later tonight! Winner gets a prize!" Sora clenched his fists excitedly.

"Alright, you're on. But what's the prize?"

"How about...loser has to clean the dishes and the kitchen for the rest of the trip?"

"Hmm...needs a little something extra. How about they have to clean the kitchen and dishes while wearing nothing but that frilly apron you found?" Riku suggested slyly.

A small blush rose to Sora's cheeks, but he grinned lecherously, "DEAL!"

"Alright, so let's find Santa a present and get to shopping!"

As it turned out, most of the items in the shops turned out to be items that were already manufactured in Santa's actual workshops so there didn't seem to be any viable options to buy for Santa that didn't seem downright silly. So Sora suggested they bring him the cookies that he already baked before their trip that he brought from home which were already in a convenient tin in his pocket.

"Well, I guess that combined with the shells, we have a decent enough gift," Riku laughed.

"Don't worry, Riku! Santa will just be happy to see you!" Sora smiled.

"See me? What makes you say that?"

"He told me specifically to give you his regards while we were searching for you!" the brunette explained but then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess I dropped the ball on that one."

The two agreed that they each get 200 munny to spend and one hour to shop. Afterwards, they'll meet at the giant tree in the square and they won't show what they bought until that evening. Afterward they meet up again, they'll visit Santa. With the budget and time limit agreed upon, the two separate.

Right away, Sora found a snow globe workshop with a kids' class where you can make your own snow globe. As Sora sat in the tiny stool with the other students, the elves running the class gave him funny looks but once he explained he was making a present for somebody special, they could only smile and let him join in. The kit they were given had a set of tiny round figurines that were blank canvases for them to paint on and they would be inserted into the snow globe with a miniature of Christmas Town in the background. After which they could add their own glitter and snowflakes and water. Sora took a pair of the tiny figures and meticulously painted the likenesses of him and Riku in their Christmas Town attire on the cute figurines with round bodies and faces that very closely resembled the physiques of the snowmen they made that same afternoon. Sora couldn't help giggling to himself as he painted silver for Riku's hair and tiny little cyan eyes with an itty bitty smile before adding the details of the poofy white fur from his coat. "Even when he's tiny, he's pretty~" Sora cooed.

Riku, meanwhile, was panicking big time. In all the excitement of competing with Sora he had forgotten that he was still too tall for most of the shops. This made shopping very uncomfortable and cumbersome as he ducked in and out of doorways in an attempt to find something not only within his budget but also something unique. "Maybe I shouldn't have raised the stakes like that. I'm starting to regret that now," he huffed. "No! I can't give up! I am NOT wearing that apron!" he clenched his fists in resolution as he hurried to the next shop. Before he knew it, his time was almost up and he found himself in what must've been the 50th toy shop he's seen that day, or at least that's what it felt like. This one was filled with only stuffed animals and with time ticking down, it was a tough choice between a stuffed baby polar bear or a fuzzy gray baby penguin. With minutes to spare, he made his purchase and ran to the town square only to find that of course Sora hadn't shown up yet.

Just as Riku wondered if he could win by default, Sora finally showed up with seconds to spare, running and out of breath. "MADE IT!" he heaved.

"Good job! You ready to visit Santa now?"

"Yeah, hold on, I just...I got a stitch in my side," Sora wheezed.

"Where did you run from?" Riku asked.

"Very far from here!" the brunette explained vaguely. "I should've just glided. I probably would've gotten here faster."

The older teen laughed and waited for Sora to catch his breath before hooking arms with him. "Shall we then?"

Sora quickly dug out the cookie tin and small cloth bag of seashells from his pockets before they found Santa's workshop once again and knocked on the door to be warmly greeted by Mrs. Claus.

"Oh, you're here, dearies! Do come in, do come in! Santa's going to be so thrilled to see you!" the kind old woman greeted, hurrying them inside while she practically jiggled with excitement.

"Thank you for having us!" both said politely as they were ushered into the cozy living room where Santa Claus greeted them from his chair by the crackling fire.

"Sora! Riku! It's so good to see you!" the bearded man greeted warmly. "Come, come! Sit down and make yourselves at home!"

Sora was practically beside himself with excitement. "Thank you! Um, we brought you a present. It's not much but--"

"Could those be cookies?" Santa's eyes lit up. "My favorite!"

Riku couldn't help smiling behind his gloved hand as he sat in the cozy love seat by the window.

"And these are from our island. I dunno if you like sea shells, but--"

Mrs. Claus took the bag gingerly and opened it up, holding up each shell for her and Santa to admire. "These are beautiful, deary! Thank you so much! We'll treasure them."

"Aw," Sora rubbed the back of his head bashfully before he was also escorted to the couch to sit next to Riku.

"Would you like some hot cocoa? I know it's quite cold outside," Santa offered.

"Please," Riku finally spoke up. He still couldn't believe it. He was in Santa's house. There was Santa, in a chair, with a list that had to be miles long! "It's um, very nice to meet you both."

"Likewise, Riku!" Santa chuckled as Mrs. Claus came back around with two large mugs of steaming hot cocoa. She even opened the tin of cookies that Sora brought so they could all enjoy them. Once they all had settled in, there was a comfortable silence for a brief moment as they sipped their hot chocolate and allowed the mugs to warm their fingers.

"Thank you, Mrs. Claus! This is delicious," Sora praised. The cocoa was just the right consistency but a little thick too, almost as if he were drinking actual liquified chocolate.

Riku hummed his thanks as well as he felt the hot beverage warm him from inside. Maybe it's because it was made by Mrs. Claus himself, but it certainly didn't taste like any hot chocolate he's ever had before.

"You're both very welcome! I pour a melted chocolate truffle into each cup," she explained with a wink.

"Wow! That's a great idea! It's so rich!" Sora smiled broadly.

Santa chuckled while he nommed on one of the frosted cookies that Sora had brought. "The cookies are delicious as well!" he chortled. "So, are you boys anxious to see if you've made it on my nice list this year?"

"Yes, sir!" Sora cheered, earning a chuckle from Riku.

"Ho ho! Well fear not, you both have made the nice list this year...so far. There are still a few days left until Christmas, you know."

Riku's eyebrows raised in surprise, "Wait, even me?"

"But of course, Riku! I'm very proud of the journey you have taken. You have more than earned your spot on the list," Santa smiled warmly.

"Um...thank you..." Riku felt his eyes tearing up. He didn't even realize how much hearing those words would have affected him. _I am NOT going to cry in front of Santa Claus!_ "I'll make sure Sora stays out of trouble."

"Hey! What makes you think you need to worry about me?" Sora crossed his arms with a huff. "It's your fault I was even on the naughty list to begin with!"

While they enjoyed their hot chocolate, the four swapped stories about all the adventures they've had this year and plans they have for the upcoming year.

"A treehouse, you say?" Santa chuckled. "I think that suits the both of you very well. You two be sure to work hard! So what have you boys been up to while you've been in town?"

"We've been seeing the sights, doing a bit of shopping," Sora answered.

"We bought some last minute gifts for each other," Riku explained.

"Delightful! Have you wrapped them yet?" Santa asked.

The two looked at each other. "Uh...I haven't," Sora answered sheepishly.

"Neither have I," Riku shook his head.

"Well why don't you do that here? And I can give you a tour of the workshop!" Santa stood. "Come now! You're in for a treat!"

When Sora last visited he only saw the packing portion of the workshop. So when Santa gave them a grand tour of the entire facility, naturally both teens were blown away by the whole production as they observed hundreds of elves hard at work making toys even now with the holidays just around the corner. There were elves riding on top of sewing machines that were powered by their own feet as they made teddy bears, jack-in-the-boxes were stuffed by hand, and there were hundreds of stations where toys were being hand-painted. Eventually they were led up to the wrapping rooms where the two were separated so they could each wrap their present in privacy. When they both emerged, they were both very proud of the job they had done, having each been assisted by a team of elves who really wanted the other to win. By now each had amassed their own fan club of elves to cheer them on. Sora's was a small box wrapped with a pearlescent pink paper topped with a shimmery white bow and Riku's was also a box wrapped with a classic red and black plaid pattern and topped with a green tinsel ribbon and bow. When Riku emerged with a bigger box, Sora immediately got nervous but he didn't let it show as he quickly stashed his back away. After all, they weren't going to exchange them until later.

Afterwards, the teens even offered to help out and were given aprons as they helped load boxes of presents onto a gigantic red sleigh that seemed bottomless. When the bell struck the hour, the two said their good-byes and took a few pictures for Kingstagram before they headed back to their cabin. <#3ChristmasTown <#3SantaClaus <#3HeDoesExist <#3MadeTheNiceList

Exhausted but thoroughly pleased with how they spent their day, the two returned to their cabin and turned on all the fairy lights and plugged in the tree. After they both set their wrapped presents under the tree and changed into their flannel pajama bottoms and knit sweaters, they decided to go ahead and get started on dinner. Though Sora was pretty tired, he already had most of the food he planned to serve for dinner prepped, so by this point it was mostly up to him to throw it into the oven. After lighting a few candles, Riku decided to "supervise" and wrapped his arms around Sora while he worked, leaning on him gently as he prepared the meal. "So what's on the menu tonight, chef?" he asked as he kissed Sora's temple.

"Stuffed lamb chops!" Sora grinned as he gave the meat a quick braise on the stove before putting the frying pan in the oven. When he was finished, he turned around to return the kisses. "Shouldn't be much longer. I got something else planned, too. So what do you say about starting the fire while I get it ready?"

"You got it," Riku smiled softly as he held Sora in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Sora sighed happily as he fingered the knit pattern of Riku's sweater. "And you're going to love what I brought."


	33. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present time! Who will win the wager?

When Riku went to put the logs on the fire, he noticed they were running low on firewood so he headed outside to grab some that were stacked behind the cabin. With a mental note to chop some more in the morning, he grabbed a few and returned to see a familiar green bottle on the countertop next to Sora as he leaned over a large pot.

"Soraaaaaaaaa..." Riku called out the teen's name suspiciously as he set the logs down in the crate next to the fireplace. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaybe~" Sora responded cheekily as he stirred the pot. "I had it imported specially from Corona."

Riku wandered over and picked up the bottle just now noticing it was empty. He then looked down at what Sora was stirring to find that Sora had poured it all into the pot and had added orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and other things he didn't recognize. "What's this?"

"They call it mulled wine. It's something popular to drink during the winter holidays!" he explained. "I thought it'd go great with the lamb chops."

"Maybe popular with adults," Riku added snidely as he pinched Sora's cheek.

"AH! Rikuuuuu!" the other whined as he pulled away from Riku's grip. "Come on, it'll be fine. I'm pretty sure doing this evaporates most of the alcohol...probably."

"Uh-huuuuuuuuuh, you don't sound too sure about that."

"So are you saying you don't want any?" Sora asked with a sneaky side glance.

"Hrm...I didn't say that."

Sora giggled just as the timer went off for the lamp chops. "Whoop! Dinner's ready!"

"Great! I'll go set the table."

Sora soon had their meal plated and presented alongside tall mugs of mulled wine. After a quick toast, the two enjoyed their dinner while they talked about the day they had just experienced with laughter that was probably partially fueled by their beverage that was paired with their meal. Even if they weren't old enough to drink, Riku had to admit, Sora knocked it out of the park when he said it would go well with the lamb chops and mulling the wine practically gave it an entire new identity compared to when they had it back in Corona. The aromatics that came off the drink were heavenly with hints of cinnamon and citrus to go with the warm tones of the wine itself and combined with the rich flavor of the caramelized lamb chops, Riku couldn't think of anything else he could possibly add to the meal to make it any more perfect for a winter holiday meal...except maybe one thing. "Have you thought about what you wanted for dessert?" he asked.

Sora giggled, cheeks already looking slightly rosy. "No," he admitted. "But I have a feeling that you have."

"Absolutely," Riku grinned. "Want to guess what it is?"

"Hmmmmm...is it cake?"

"Perhaps. What kind of cake, though?"

"Hmmmm...Christmas cake?" Sora guessed.

Riku chuckled, "Come on, you can do better than that."

"Sponge cake?"

"Mmm...I don't THINK that's what it is. I could be wrong. But guess the toppings."

"Something that may or may not be sponge cake with toppings...hm...." Sora pondered as he tapped his chin in thought. "WAIT!" his eyes opened in realization. "Don't tell me--"

"I think you know~" Riku teased.

"Oh no...Riku...you didn't!" Sora's blush became even more prominent and this time the wine wasn't to blame.

"Strawberry~" Riku sing-songed, laughing as he swore he saw steam escape from beneath Sora's collar. "I know it's your favorite," he added slyly.

"No, it's not," Sora squeaked in a tiny voice as the red in his face reached his ears.

"Oh?" the silverette eyed Sora's face with amusement as he reached a foot closer to Sora's and ran his foot over his calf. "Maybe after tonight you'll change your mind."

"M-maybe," he stammered as he felt Riku's foot travel up his leg.

The older teen laughed before ceasing his teasing, standing to take both their plates. "Want to have dessert by the fireplace?" he suggested.

"Sure! Here, I'll get us some refills too!"

The two cozied up on the couch as they enjoyed their slices of cake, a beautiful, two-layered confection stuffed with sliced strawberries and buttercream and topped with even more strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. In fact, Sora didn't think it was much of an exaggeration to say that it appeared to be more strawberry than actual cake as the top of it was absolutely loaded with them. The cake that was present was a rich sponge cake like he had guessed and he soon found he was glad that he didn't go overboard on the portion size because it soon became apparent that Riku was enjoying feeding him bites from his own portion way too much. By the time Sora caught on to his little scheme and started feeding him bites back, it was too late. Riku's plate was empty and Sora was still left with some buttercream and a fair number of strawberries on his plate.

"Come on, Sora. You need to finish~" Riku teased.

"Nnnn...why don't you have some?" Sora pouted as he offered his plate to Riku. "You kept feeding me yours."

"That's because you looked hungry," the silverette crooned as he took one of the strawberries in his fingers and twirled it in the buttercream to cover it in an even coating before offering it to Sora's lips. "Open up."

"Mm-mmm," Sora shook his head stubbornly. "Not unless you eat some too."

"Oh don't worry, I will," Riku promised.

Sora eyed him suspiciously but nevertheless opened his mouth and let Riku feed him the cream-coated strawberry. He pressed it against his tongue slowly and even playfully pushed it in and out before letting Sora even take a bite. When some of the cream came off on his lips, Riku leaned in to lick it off, causing the teen to shudder as he felt the other's tongue glide skillfully along his lips before feeding him the other half, still leaning in close with what Sora could only describe as lustful stare as he watched him eat the rest of the strawberry. Now especially hot and bothered, Sora broke the other's gaze to hold up the plate between them again. "N-now it's your turn!" he reminded.

The grin Riku gave Sora as he grabbed the last strawberry on the plate immediately made the brunette nervous and with good reason. Riku simply hummed as he seemingly casually lifted the strawberry to his mouth only to teasingly lick every bit of cream off of it, his tongue sticking straight out as he licked the tip very suggestively before wrapping it all around the strawberry and twirling it in his fingers, making Sora swallow hard as he easily became entranced by the display. When he started sliding his lips over it again and again, Sora's heart began to pound and by the time Riku actually bit into the fruit with a soft crunch, Sora's hands were shaking and causing the fork to rattle on the plate clutched in his hands. But just as he though his torment was over, Riku suddenly grabbed the plate and set it on the coffee table and pushed him down on the couch, pinning him down with a rough kiss where he managed to pry his mouth open and feed him the second half of the strawberry he now had in his mouth.

Sora moaned despite himself as the sweet fruit was forced into his mouth and was trapped there as Riku continued to kiss him, unable to chew lest he bite the other. By the time Riku pulled away, the small piece of fruit was practically liquified already and bits of it were all over his mouth, a mess that Riku cleaned up before leaning into Sora's ear. "Swallow," he whispered, as if reminding the stunned teen but to Sora it felt like a command, a command that made him shiver all over as he did what he was told before letting out a small gasp as if he forgot to breathe.

"You're...you're so mean, Riku," Sora mewled as he felt fingers linger on his hips and move under his sweater to tease his abdomen.

"What are you talking about?" Riku murmured into his ear before delicately nibbling on his earlobe. "We're just enjoying some cake."

The brunette shivered harder, his body quaking as he gripped at the front of Riku's sweater. His body felt so hot he thought he might actually combust! But just when Riku was about to lean in for another kiss, his eyes blearily caught sight of the twinkling tree behind Riku and he was struck with an idea. "Wait! I almost forgot! Our gifts!"

Riku paused his advances and pulled back, blinking with mild surprise, "Oh? You don't want to wait until morning?"

"Well, the kitchen's messy NOW," Sora reminded him. "Better see who's job it is to clean before we get carried away, right?"

"Hm..." Riku stared at Sora but he had a good point. It wouldn't be very responsible to leave a mess before they proceed with any other activities that might leave them too tired to do it before they go to sleep. "I guess you're right," he agreed before wistfully straightening up and pulling himself off of Sora.

The younger teen snickered and straightened up to give Riku a kiss on the cheek before grabbing his hand and leading him over to the decorated tree where they both sat down with their mugs of mulled wine. "So who should go first?" Sora asked.

"Should we go at the same time?" Riku suggested as he took a sip from his mug.

"Ooh, great idea!" Sora agreed, grabbing the present he wrapped for Riku and offering it to him while Riku handed him his. Sora accepted the present with delight and gave it a little shake to hear what's inside the box. "I wonder what it could be~?"

"Careful, you might scare him," Riku warned as he accepted his present and also gently gave it a little shake, but he couldn't really hear anything. "It's small, but it feels a little heavy!"

"Scare him?" Sora repeated. "Did you get me an animal!?"

"You're going to have to open and see!" Riku laughed, prompting the brunette to tear into the present as if worried there really was something trapped in there while Riku carefully undid the ribbon and wrapping on his. Just as he pulled the box open, he heard Sora gasp in awe as he pulled something gray and fuzzy from its box.

"IT'S A BABY PENGUIN!" Sora squealed as he held up the adorable fuzzy creature. "It's soooooooooo cute!" he cooed as he squished the tiny plush in a tight hug. "Awww, wook at his wittle beak! Thank you, Riku!"

"I'm so glad you like him," Riku smiled. Judging by Sora's delight he was sure their little wager was in the bag but as soon as he lifted his gift out of the box, he knew he lost big time. "Aw, Sora..."

"Do you like it?" Sora asked, unsure how to read the expression on Riku's face.

"It's adorable!" Riku practically sobbed as he held up the handmade snow globe to the lights of the tree, watching in awe as the multicolored lights bounced off the prismatic snowflakes swirling around the Christmas Town miniature and the two other cute occupants in front of it. "Wait, did you paint these yourself?" he asked as he noticed the way his hair was painted on the figurine resembled Sora's doodling style very well.

"I did! There was a little snow globe workshop offering a class! It took up my entire budget but I got in!" Sora grinned proudly.

Riku facepalmed. _Why didn't I think of that? I passed by an ornament shop offering the same thing on the way to the toy store!_ "Well, thank you, Sora. I'm definitely going to treasure this. I think it's safe to say...you won."

"Wait, what was that?" Sora grinned cheekily as he leaned in with a hand to his ear. "I didn't catch it."

"You. Won." he repeated through grit teeth.

"Woohoo!" Sora cheered as he tossed his baby penguin into the air and caught it in celebration. "I'll get the apron~"

"Wait...can we talk about this?" Riku begged.

"Nope, you said so yourself!" the brunette cheered again as he grabbed the apron from inside one of the drawers and tossed it to Riku. "You wanted to up the stakes and you got them. Time to pay up!"

"But what if I get cold?" Riku grumbled as he begrudgingly took the offered apron and began peeling off his clothes.

"Oh don't worry, I'll think of a way to keep you warm," Sora grinned as he watched Riku strip, earning a blush from the older teen as he put the apron over his head and tied the straps.

"It's too small," Riku grumbled under his breath, adjusting the neck strap to make it longer so that it would at least go down to mid-thigh. But doing this meant leaving his nipples uncovered so he had to adjust it yet again to find a way to cover both areas in question.

Sora giggled as he watched the other struggle while he poured them each another helping of the mulled wine still on the stove. "Chop chop!" he teased.

"So bossy!" Riku huffed as he stomped over to the kitchen, slapping Sora on the ass in retaliation before grabbing the dishes that Sora cooked with and bringing them to the sink with the others. First, he cleaned the knives and put them on the drying rack for safety and then he started filling the sink with hot water and suds. As he waited for the sink to fill up, he could already feel Sora sliding up behind him and sliding his arms around his waist. "Soraaaaaa..."

"Just supervising," Sora snickered as he set Riku's mug next to the sink. "This will warm you up too~"

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Riku asked playfully even as he took another sip of the warm wine and enjoyed how it warmed his insides yet again. He wasn't sure if he was feeling it in his face just yet or if he was just enjoying the feeling of Sora pressed against him, but he could tell Sora was definitely feeling it as the smaller teen's cheeks felt hot against his skin as he leaned into his back.

"Enough of you? Never!" Sora giggled giddily as he squeezed Riku's middle.

"You know what I meant!" Riku snorted, unable to keep himself from laughing at Sora's antics. His laughter came to a stop, however, when he felt Sora's hands move from his middle and up his rib cage to slide his fingers underneath the front of the apron. "Now what are you doing?"

"Seeing if you're cold~" the brunette responded as he brushed his index fingers over Riku's nipples to feel they've become hard. "Looks like that's a yes~" he observed in a voice akin to a purr.

Riku's breath hitched in his throat as Sora's fingers continued to thrum over his nipples. Even as he bent further over the sink to finally get started on the dishes, Sora didn't remove his hands. "Soraaaa..." he growled.

"What~?" the teen asked not-so-innocently. "I'm helping."

"No, you're not," Riku huffed. "This is harassment."

"What was that about ass?" Sora asked cheekily as he reached one hand down to squeeze Riku's, earning a hard flinch from the other.

"SORA!" Riku gasped and was about to turn around and give Sora a piece of his mind but Sora was surprisingly quickly to press against him firmer so that his waist was pinned to the countertop, preventing him from pivoting around so he could give him a proper tongue-lashing.

"What? Not a fan of my puns all of a sudden?" the brunette giggled as he ground himself against Riku's ass playfully just so he could enjoy feeling the other squirm.

"They need work," Riku scoffed as he did his best to ignore Sora's teasing so he can get back to doing the dishes. The sooner he could finish and get out of this apron the sooner he can get back at Sora.

"Hehe, if you say so," Sora chuckled as he pressed even closer and whispered, "You look so pretty like this, Riku~"

"Sora..." Riku growled again through grit teeth as he felt his face getting hotter. By now his hands were practically shaking under the water as Sora's hands traveled lower under the apron to trail his fingers over his abdomen.

"Do you want me to stop?" Sora whispered huskily as if he were daring Riku while his fingertips played with the wisps of hair beneath his navel.

It took Riku a long second to respond, swallowing hard before quietly answering, "...No." Truth be told he was enjoying this bold side of Sora and was very curious to see how far the teen would go. It was a shame he had to wear a ridiculous apron for it to happen but if it takes wearing a silly piece of clothing to get Sora this frisky, he wasn't about to complain too much.

"Good," the brunette grinned. Ever since Riku made the addition to their bet he had been imagining what he'd do if he won. To have Riku be such a good sport about it made it twenty times better, but he was willing to bet that a good dinner and a little wine might have made him slightly more compliant. Then again, maybe not. After all, Riku barely even seems affected by the drink whatsoever, meanwhile he had been feeling all kinds of tingly and his face felt hot, but he wasn't tipsy, not yet anyway. If anything he did feel a little braver, which he desperately needed for what he wanted to do next. "Can I touch you?"

Riku's spine stiffened and his eyes widened as his fists clenched around the wash rag in his hand. _Does he mean...?_ "Yes," he practically whispered as he tried not to allow his voice to quiver. Though he succeeded, he wasn't sure if he stopped it from sounding eager or slightly needy, either. At his answer, he felt Sora's warm hands leave the apron temporarily only to drift back in under the flap of the fabric that barely concealed his thighs and let out a small gasp as he felt his hands gently wrap around his half-hardened manhood.

Sora bit his bottom lip to hold back his own gasp as he felt Riku's hot organ in his hands, his sack cradled in one palm while his other gently wrapped around the stiffening shaft. He felt his own breath quicken as held him, marveling at how big it felt compared to his own even at half-mast. Something about the way he felt in Sora's hands had him trembling and stirred something needy in his middle as his fingers explored the soft flesh and roamed over veins that he could feel pulsing along with Riku's heart beat. "Oh Riku..." he praised as he felt him hardening even further.

"S-Sora..." Riku gasped, the dishes now practically abandoned as he gripped the edge of the sink.

The lack of activity didn't escape Sora's notice however, and he grinned mischievously as he stood on his toes to whisper directly into Riku's ear, "Finish them."

Riku couldn't bring himself to answer, only nodding as he resumed cleaning them. Though there weren't a lot of dishes to deal with, he found he kept getting distracted by Sora's fondling hands and ended up washing the same plate three times before he finally had them all put in the drying rack. Once all the dishes were set aside and the sink was drained, he found himself letting out a sigh of relief.

"Good job," Sora praised in a low voice, finally releasing Riku only to pin him against the countertop yet again once he turned around. "Stay here."

"What are you doing now?" Riku asked hesitantly, now getting nervous at seeing the dark, mischievous look in Sora's eyes.

"Rewarding you for your hard work~" the brunette said simply as he gripped Riku's hips to hold himself steady as he knelt down to his knees and lifted Riku's tenting apron to duck his head beneath the fabric.

"W-wait! Sora!" Riku tried to protest, to tell Sora he didn't have to, but then he felt a warm wet tongue glide up the underside of his shaft and he was GONE, knees even buckling to where he felt he had to grip the counter behind him.

"Riku...Riku..." Sora moaned and whispered the other's name wantonly as he finally allowed himself to taste Riku. His manhood tasted just as good as the rest of Riku did, the hardened flesh tasting slightly of salt and his musky scent of sandalwood with the barest hint of spice and maybe even tang was intoxicating. He has wanted to try pleasuring Riku this way for quite a while but up until now he had no idea how BADLY he really wanted it and now that it's finally happening he was almost dizzy with excitement. He then proceeded to lose himself in the sounds of Riku's gasping and moans of approval as he kissed his way around his shaft, grazing his lips all over and leaving a trail of saliva over every inch of him before finally reaching the tip that he saved for last. Now encouraged by Riku's twitching hips beneath his hands, he leaned in to lick the now-moist tip, delighting in how it flinched against his tongue when he made contact with it. With another lick, he curiously tasted the evidence of Riku's enjoyment that had dribbled down the underside to find he didn't mind the taste at all. It was a little salty but not in the way he was expecting and it was just...warm.

"S-Sora..." Riku groaned the other's name as he resisted the urge to just grab the teen and have his way with him. Sora had barely started and already felt like he was edging on the precipice. Even so, he couldn't resist lifting the flap of the apron so he could look at Sora's face, only for his heart to practically leap out of his chest as Sora looked up at him with dark eyes and lips a hair's distance away from his tip with his tongue still braced against the underside. "Fuck..." he whispered.

Sora looked up at Riku, smiling inwardly as he caught the lust-filled gaze in his eyes, slightly clouded over with need as he brushed his thumbs over his prominent hip bones. Never breaking his gaze, he finally lowered his lips onto the weeping tip and slid him into his mouth very slowly. Almost immediately he heard Riku gasp and his body quiver beneath his hands and he loved the fact that _he_ was the one doing this to him. When Riku's hands moved from the countertop to bury themselves in his hair, he closed his eyes and moaned as fingers gently tugged at his spikes as they clenched with need. Even as he felt Riku's hands tremble in his hair, he felt safe so he had no qualms about taking more into his mouth to see how far he could go. The descent felt endless and if he wasn't tipsy before he certainly felt like he was now as he got off on the heady scent of Riku filling his nose as he pressed closer and closer. When he got far enough that he worried about choking, he opened his eyes just enough to see he was still maybe an inch or two from the base but it was a very pleasant surprise to him because that was much further than he thought he'd be able to get on his first try. Nevertheless, he found he was having trouble breathing so he slowly retreated, earning a moan from Riku as he dragged his lips along the way.

"Gods, Sora," Riku praised as he watched him.

"Does it feel good, Riku?" Sora asked as he nuzzled his cheek along Riku's sack.

"Yes...so good," the elder teen whispered with a shuddering breath.

Further encouraged by Riku's praise, Sora smiled up at him before resuming his pleasurable ministrations. Where he couldn't reach with his mouth he pumped with his hand as he began bobbing his mouth up and down Riku's length. At first he started slowly while dragging his tongue along the underside while dragging his lips up and down as best he could, reveling in the feeling of the large veins throbbing against his tongue and lips as Riku gasped and moaned above him. However he could feel Riku getting impatient, desperate even, as fingers tightened in his hair, so he picked up the pace.

Soon the quiet kitchen was filled with quiet suckling noises punctuated by Riku's occasional gasping as Sora continued to pleasure him. The air around them felt hot and heavy and Riku felt like he could barely breathe as he found it harder and harder to hold back. This felt better than he could've possibly imagined, better than he's ever dreamed of, never mind that he was wearing a stupid apron while it was happening. In fact, he decided to tear the offending garment off as it was already too tight to begin with and he was tired of the fabric getting in Sora's way. Once it was gone, he found he could really focus on what Sora was doing for him and it drove him wild as he stared down at Sora's flushed face. He almost never wanted it to end, but every bit of him ached to finish, if anything just so he could finally scoop Sora into his arms so he could return the gesture as well. The idea made him throw his head back and moan louder as another huge spike of pleasure rang up his spine. He wasn't going to last much longer! "S-Sora! I'm gonna...I'm so close!" he tried to warn him

Sora persisted, however, now swirling his tongue over the head as he used his hand to pump Riku, encouraging him to finish. Even as Riku let out one last shuddering, high-pitched gasp and attempted to push him away, Sora remained steadfast, curiosity urging him to stay put as Riku spurt into his mouth. Immediately he sputtered as it hit the back of his throat and coated the inside of his mouth but he didn't move until Riku had finished and sloppily attempted to clean him up but it was already everywhere, dripping out of the sides of his mouth and dribbling down his chin. "So much!" he gasped in amazement and perhaps bewilderment and frustration as he grabbed the discarded apron to catch the rest of it before it landed on the floor.

"I tried to tell you," Riku scolded gently as he caught his breath and watched Sora try to clean himself off. Once the post-orgasmic fog in his brain started to clear, he rubbed his thumbs along Sora's still wet jawline and whispered more nonsensical words of praise before finally making coherent words. "That was amazing."

Sora smiled happily, blushing as red as a tomato from the praise but also embarrassment from the sloppy finish as Riku offered him his hands to lift him off the floor and capture his mouth in a passionate kiss which the brunette leaned into happily.

"You were so good, baby, so good," Riku praised breathily between kisses as he held Sora tightly against his body. He could feel Sora's own hard length pressing into his waist and couldn't help grinning deviously. "Did sucking me off get you hard?"

"Yes," Sora whispered into his lips, practically mewling as he shifted his hips against Riku's.

The silverette felt his face redden, not expecting Sora to answer so earnestly. To reward his honesty, he moved a hand to grope his front, earning another loud mewl from Sora who bucked eagerly into his hand. "Then how about you let me take care of _you_ next?"

"Just hold it there," Sora demanded. "Just like that," he whispered as he bucked into Riku's hand. "Just hold me, please!" He was already so close! The friction and warmth of Riku's hand already felt like more than he can handle!

"A-are you sure?" Riku asked in surprise as he rubbed Sora's front through his pajama bottoms. Sure enough, he could feel how damp Sora already was. He definitely wasn't going to last long.

"Aah! Yes! Please!" Sora cried out as he held Riku. "Just touch me, please!" he begged.

Riku complied happily, holding Sora steady as he shuddered violently against him while he rubbed his palm against his quivering, clothed erection. "Like that?"

"Ah-ah-ahhh! Yes!" Sora moaned into Riku's chest as he bucked into his warm hand. He was seeing sparks behind his eyelids and he could barely stand up but he held onto Riku's waist tightly while doing his best not to dig his fingers into his skin. "R-Riku!"

 _Gods, he's beautiful._ Riku thought to himself as he watched Sora cry out his name with tears of pleasure threatening to leak out of his eyes while his cheeks were aglow with pleasure. His hips were now desperately bucking into him, signaling he was indeed very close and he knew just what he needed to do to send him over the edge. He leaned his head down to the whimpering teen's ear and simply whispered, "Cum for me, Sora." Suddenly the teen's movements stopped as Sora came with a cry, trembling violently as he came in his pajama bottoms and against Riku's insistent hand. But even as he came, Riku didn't cease his ministrations until he felt Sora become completely spent and limp in his arms. "That's it~" he praised as he caught him and scooped him up into his arms. "Guess I have to clean you up now too," he winked before carrying the still breathless teen to the bathroom.

"I love you, Riku," Sora whispered as he nuzzled into Riku's pec.

The elder teen smiled fondly at the teen in his arms, "I love you too, Sora. But you're not allowed to sleep yet. So don't even think about it."


	34. Resolutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Year's festivities are underway on the islands and there's a surprise visitor!

Everybody was back home for the Christmas holidays and enjoyed time with their families without much of a hitch. The only thing of note was that Sora got coal in his stocking after all for underaged drinking. Soon New Years Eve was upon them and the Destiny Islands were bustling with excitement for this year's New Year's festival. With the import of new fireworks, the show was sure to be a blast (pun not intended). There was also the new addition of a roller coaster at the pier that was debuting that same afternoon. To be honest, Riku considered spending the evening at home, but with Kairi and Sora tugging on his arms, how could he say no? Thus the boys dressed in their red and grey super groupies hoodies and Kairi in a pink one that Sora and Riku ordered her for Christmas, headed to the pier to enjoy the New Year's Eve festivities together.

Together, the three enjoyed all the rides that the pier had to offer...except the roller coaster. Upon seeing it for the first time, none of them really wanted to go on it.

"I think maybe..." Riku started.

"The line's too long," Kairi chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, definitely too long," Riku agreed.

"Yeah..." Sora swallowed. "Sorry, guys." He couldn't help feeling guilty. The last time any of them went on a roller coaster it was HIS roller coaster and they got shot out of the sky. Clearly that experience has stuck with the three of them.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Riku nudged Sora impatiently.

"Yeah, seriously? It's not your fault. Then again, you DID convince us to eat all that ice cream and now I'm too full to go on any fast rides," Kairi winked.

Sora chuckled sheepishly. "Do you guys want to play some games instead?"

"What and get conned out of our munny? Sure, why not?" Riku grinned.

The stalls had the usual rigged carnival games, but Sora and Riku each managed to win a giant stuffed unicorn for Kairi which they both ended up having to carry with them because they were too big for her to carry by herself, Sora a pastel rainbow one and Riku a white one. Needless to say they both looked absolutely ridiculous carrying giant unicorn plushies on their backs and with Kairi linking arms between them, from behind it looked like she was being escorted by giant fluffy unicorns.

"Maybe we should've waited until later to win these things," Sora laughed.

"Nah, the stalls would've been closed by then!" Kairi giggled.

Suddenly Sora heard a familiar voice behind him. "Sora! Sora, wait! I'm talking to you!" When he turned around, he saw the gym teacher calling out after somebody wearing a black hoody with hair similar to his. The person turned around briefly and Sora saw a glint of yellow eyes that made his heart stop. _What's he doing here?_

"What's going on?" Riku asked but before he could fully turn around, Sora grabbed him by the front of his hoody and pulled him in for a kiss while Vanitas escaped out of the corner of his eye.

"S-S-Sora!!!" Kairi gasped, her face reddening as she watched the two kiss.

Sora quickly let Riku go, "Uh, sorry!" he giggled.

"What the heck was that??" the older teen eyed him suspiciously as he fought the reddening in his cheeks.

"What? Nobody saw us," the brunette laughed it off, pointing at the giant unicorns on both their backs that completely dwarfed the both of them. "To everybody else, we're just a pair of kissing unicorns," Sora winked.

"Oh like that's any less conspicuous than--" Riku stammered.

"Hey, guys!" Tidus suddenly called out to them with ice cream in one hand and cotton candy in the other. "You gonna watch the fireworks later?"

"We're planning on it!" Kairi answered for the both of them. "Are you?"

"Definitely! There's this sweet girl from another school I just met. I'm hoping we're gonna watch them together, if you know what I mean. Heh heh. Anyway, did you get sick on the roller coaster or something, Sora?"

"Me?" Sora asked. "No. We haven't even ridden it yet."

"Oh. Well you changed your clothes, so I thought you puked!" Tidus laughed.

"Wut?" Sora blinked.

"Sure you haven't mistaken him for somebody else?" Kairi laughed.

Now Riku was beyond suspicious. _Somebody wandering around that looks like Sora?_ While Sora kept insisting that he didn't know what Tidus was talking about, he turned away and looked through his gummi phone to text Roxas.

Riku: Hey. What are you up to?  
Roxas: Nm. We're waiting on fireworks to start  
Riku: Where?  
Roxas: Where do u think?  
Riku: You're not on the islands, are you?  
Roxas: No. y?  
Riku: I think somebody's impersonating Sora.  
Roxas: Hey Riku  
Riku: What?  
Roxas: There r 100 dicks on the wall. How many r u choking on?  
Riku: What!? None!!  
Roxas: Then u must be a professional. :D

The phone case Kairi gave Riku for his birthday crunched in his fist as he clenched his phone in anger! "I'M SURPRISED THAT IDIOT EVEN KNOWS HOW TO SPELL PROFESSIONAL!" he shouted before angrily stuffing his phone in his pocket, earning concerned looks from all his friends.

"Riku? Everything okay?" Kairi asked nervously.

"It's fine," Riku insisted before grabbing Sora's wrist and dragging him away from Tidus. "Let's go find a place to watch the fireworks."

"'Kay!" the redhead chuckled nervously as she followed behind them. "But what's gotten into you?"

Sora wondered the same thing, but it only took one glance at Riku's face for him to tell. "Did Roxas text you?" the brunette asked cheekily.

"You both are so...never mind!" Riku huffed. "Two peas in a pod, I swear."

"Oh come on, Riku!" Sora laughed as he got dragged along. "What did he say this time?"

"Ask him yourself," the silver-haired teen growled.

"Slow down, you two! You're dragging my prizes!" Kairi laughed as she tried to keep up with the bouncy, fluffy unicorns that were parting the crowd.

By the time they left the pier, most of the good firework-viewing spots had been taken but even as they looked, one member of their party didn't seem as enthused about finding a space.

"Everything okay, Kairi?" Sora asked, noticing Kairi had become more and more crestfallen as the minutes ticked toward the midnight hour.

"It's just...I'm not really in the mood for fireworks," she admitted softly. "I'm sorry."

Both Sora and Riku's eyes widened in realization. Come to think of it, neither of them could remember Kairi being around for the firework displays by Merlin and Yen Sid during Riku's birthday party.

"Hey, it's alright," Riku smiled as he offered out a hand.

Sora offered his too, "Yeah, like these fireworks are going to compare to Yen Sid's anyway."

Kairi giggled despite the tears in her eyes as she reached for both their hands, "I think you're right."

Together the three walked back towards Kairi's place. By the time they got there, they heard the first few pops of the fireworks in the distance. Thankfully out here it wasn't nearly as loud as it would've been had they stayed near the pier. With the fireworks signaled the stroke of midnight and the teens looked at each other with a laugh before Sora and Riku each leaned in to kiss Kairi on the cheek.

"You guyssssss!" she blushed happily before returning the same for each of them. "Happy new year!"

"Happy new year!" Sora and Riku cheered.

After Kairi said she was going to turn in for the night, Riku helped carry in both her giant prizes while Sora stayed outside and checked his phone. Turns out he missed quite a few messages from "V".

V: Where are you?  
V: ???  
V: I need you  
V: Bad  
V: ???  
V: hellp?

Sora cursed under his breath. Vanitas almost never texts him and certainly never like this! With a quick look at the doorway to make sure Riku was still inside, he hurried to text back.

Sora: You okay?  
V: For now  
Sora: Go to my place  
Sora: Nobody's home, stay in my room, lock the door.  
V: When will you be back?  
Sora: Soon. Maybe an hour tops  
V: Fine

With a sigh of relief, Sora hurried to put his phone away just as Riku came back out with Kairi. After they all said good night, Riku reached for Sora's hand. "Do you need to go home right away?" the silverette asked.

"I got an hour," Sora smiled. "Do you wanna go somewhere?"

"Let's go to the park. I'm sure there's nobody there at the moment," Riku suggested.

Together the two walked hand in hand to the park. It had a small playground and such and usually people were discouraged from hanging out there after hours for whatever reason, but everybody was enjoying the festivities so nobody was around to tell them off. As they cozied up together on a bench, they could still see the barest glimmers of the fireworks in the distance, but they were less occupied with the fireworks and rather more involved with enjoying each other's company.

"Do you have any new years resolutions, Riku?" Sora asked as he nestled into Riku's shoulder.

Riku hummed thoughtfully as he stroked his thumb over the back of Sora's hand clasped in his, "Hmm...I don't know if it counts as a resolution, but I want to make the best school memories I possibly can with all of you before I graduate."

"Oh! That's right, you're graduating this year," Sora realized, now feeling a little down. He still has one more year left. It's going to be so weird going to school without knowing Riku's around.

"Hey, don't look so bummed. We still got the blitzball season, right? And besides, once I'm out, I'll have more time to work on the treehouse while you're in school and then I can pick you up when you're finished and I'll still help you with your homework. The only difference really is that I won't be around to have lunch with you. But you still have Kairi!"

"Yeah, that's true," Sora smiled. "You're right. We're going to make the most of it!"

"So what are your resolutions?" Riku asked as he rested his head on top of Sora's.

"Hm...does surviving high school count?" the brunette snickered.

"I guess that's as good a resolution as any. Any others?"

"Hmmm, maybe," Sora grinned. "I think I'll keep them to myself, though."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"No reason."

"I think the reason is you're trying to tease me," Riku smirked.

Sora lifted his head in mock offense, "Me? Tease you? Never!"

"Sure, Sora," the silverette chuckled and shook his head before leaning in to give Sora a kiss. "Keep your secrets, then."

"Mmm...fine, I will," Sora murmured as he leaned in to deepen the kiss.

The two were wrapped up in each other for a few tender moments until Riku heard a rustling in the bushes. He quickly pulled away from Sora to see through the darkness only to see a group of high schoolers coming up the path, probably just leaving the festival. The group made eye contact with Riku and gave a small nod, which he and Sora returned. The two continued to sit awkwardly as the group passed and just as Sora was about to stir up conversation again in an effort to seem casual, one of the teens spoke up.

"Wait, you two are from DI High, aren't you?" the tallest of the bunch asked.

Sora tilted his head at the question. "That's right. Oh wait! Are you guys from Zan Academy?" he asked.

"Sure are! We're all on the blitzball team!" he announced proudly. "Do you guys watch the games?"

"We just transferred back this year, so we haven't been around to see very many. But we've made the team this year as well," Riku explained. "So I guess we'll probably be seeing you!"

"Absolutely!" the taller one grinned and walked over with his friends to introduce himself. "Name's Nero!"

Sora stood from the bench to shake Nero's hand in greeting, "Nice to meet you, Nero! I'm Sora and this is Riku."

"Nice to meet all of you," Riku waved casually, earning nods and friendly smiles from the rest of the group.

"Wait, Sora and Riku? Like as in the missing kids from a couple of years ago?" Nero asked.

"Ummm...." Sora rubbed the back of his head as a bead of nervous sweat dripped down the side of his face.

"It is, isn't it? Wow! Man, we heard all about that on the news! That was crazy! So how'd you guys get back, anyway?"

"We hitched rides on fishing boats until we made our way back," Riku said simply.

"Yeah, we were pretty lost for a while," Sora chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, man, I remember that storm!" one of Nero's team mates chimed in. "It was crazy! We all thought you were dead for sure!"

"Well, anyway, welcome back!" Nero laughed. "Glad to see you're both still in one piece. We're just about to head back, but hey! We'll be seeing you in the arena!"

"Definitely!" Sora grinned. "It was nice meeting you guys!"

"Same to you!" the group waved good-bye and went on their way.

Once they were out of sight and hopefully out of earshot, Sora flopped back into the bench with a sigh of relief. "They seem pretty cool."

"Yeah, I guess," Riku smiled as he wrapped an arm around Sora to pull him in closer. "It's getting a little chilly though. You want to head back before anybody else shows up?"

Sora checked the time on his gummi phone, "Yeah, we probably should. I don't want my mom to have to wait up."

Riku's house was closest, so they went there first. After a quick kiss good night, Sora SPRINTED the rest of the way to his place and clambered in through the window.

"Vanitas! Are you here?" Sora whispered as he spun around to look for him but the dark being didn't appear to be there...that is until something came scuttling out from under Sora's bed. "EEP!" Sora jumped back a couple of feet to see a little flood looking up at him with tiny red eyes before shivering and transforming into Vanitas who was dressed in a black hoody and white cargo pants.

"Took you long enough," Vanitas chided quietly.

Sora turned on the light to get a good look at Vanitas, who flinched when the bright light came on. He looked terrible, like he hadn't had a decent meal in weeks! His cheekbones were prominent, his skin paler than Sora's ever seen it, and his baggy clothes were practically hanging off of him. "Vanitas...what happened?"

"Don't look at me like that," Vanitas huffed, though his voice didn't have the usual bite that normally has. "Can we do this now, or what?"

"Right, sorry!" he was about to say they could do it right there, but he heard his parents come in through the front door. "Shoot, one second!"

"Sora! You home?" Sora's dad called from downstairs.

"Yup!" Sora called back down. "I'm heading to bed! Good night!"

"Good night!" both parents called back.

Sora quickly turned off the light and turned back around to see Vanitas's hand trembling as he held onto the bedframe. "I'm sorry, I don't think we can do it here, can you make it to the usual spot?"

Before Vanitas could even answer, he suddenly turned right back into a flood, a very tired-looking flood.

"Oh no..." Sora murmured, kneeling down to check on the little thing. "Here, let me help. I'll take us someplace quiet and you can take as much as you want," he promised before he scooped up the little creature and slid him securely under hoody. Once the little creature settled, Sora was back out the window again and air-stepping towards the play island in mere seconds. At this point he didn't really care if anybody else saw. He was only worried about Vanitas! Sure, he hadn't seen the teen since before he and Riku left for their holiday but he certainly didn't expect him to deteriorate like this!

Once they were in the safety of the secret cave, Sora released the flood from his shirt and Vanitas took his usual form again. Without another word, Sora quickly laid on his back so Vanitas can do what he needed to do. But as he waited, Vanitas was slow to lean over him, so much so that Sora felt the need to grip his shoulders and help steady him as he straddled his waist. He half-expected Vanitas to swat his hands away but the teen barely managed to give a half glare before finally reaching for Sora's throat and leaning his face close to his.

Sora could feel Vanitas searching deep, almost desperately as memories flashed behind his eyelids at a frantic speed. Nothing seemed to satisfy what he was looking for and Sora could tell he was getting frustrated by how hard he was now squeezing his throat. Just when it seemed like Vanitas was about to give up, Sora let down the defenses around his heart, the ones that walled in his most painful moments. Almost immediately he heard Vanitas hum with approval and although he loosened his grip around his throat, that was the least of Sora's worries. His worst nightmares were now flashing before his eyes along with memories of sheer agony that he pushed down deep from the injuries he endured during his first encounter with the Master of Masters. They were short moments of waking when he was at his most helpless and in the most pain he's ever experienced. Though they were short moments, he could remember every bit of it. He could remember screaming and fighting and begging for the pain to stop while his friends tried to hold him down before he was put to sleep again. These moments fueled nightmares unlike anything he had ever experienced before that, nightmares that Riku worked diligently to keep at bay. Just reliving the memory had him clutching the dirt beneath him and had him writhing beneath Vanitas who now had the strength to keep him pinned down while he cried and screamed.

"PLEASE!" Sora gasped around the hand that continued to squeeze his throat. "It's too much!"

"I only need a little more," Vanitas said quietly as if genuinely trying to soothe him. "I need what you can give me."

Sora practically choked and threw his head back as the stream of negative emotions continued to leave his body for Vanitas to consume. Tears streamed down his face as he dared to let Vanitas in just a little further. The only thing he could think of that was worse than the pain was the loneliness and the fear of not knowing. Would he ever wake up again? Would he ever get a chance to say good-bye? Will his friends be okay? The hollow ache in his heart felt like a deep, never-ending hole that Sora desperately wanted to close up again and it left him quietly sobbing as Vanitas consumed it, leaving an ice-cold emptiness in his wake. But as he sobbed, he felt a hand rub against his cheek to wipe away his tears. It was only for a moment and then Vanitas released him.

"Are you okay?" Vanitas asked quietly.

Sora laid gasping for a few moments as he tried to calm himself, the icy feeling in his chest slowly melting away until he at last felt normal again. Only then did he open his eyes and notice Vanitas staring down at him with the softest gaze he's ever seen him give. "You're looking better," Sora noted as he reached a hand up to wipe away his own tears.

"Yeah..."

"What's wrong?" Sora asked as Vanitas was still looking at him and hasn't made a move to get off of him yet.

"It's nothing. I guess...of all the faces I could've gotten stuck with, yours isn't so bad," the raven-haired teen murmured as he finally looked away and carefully got off of him.

"Thanks, I guess?" Sora chuckled weakly as he cast curaga on himself. "But seriously, Vanitas, what happened? Why did you look so bad? Are you not eating?"

"I guess...I should probably start doing that," Vanitas admitted. 

"Have you not needed to eat before?" the brunette asked in amazement.

The other teen shook his head. "I just sustained myself on..." he waved a hand as if he didn't want to go into something he's already explained once before. "You know. Food was just something I wasn't allowed to enjoy."

"Well now you definitely should! You'd feel a lot better!" Sora assured him.

"I know..." Vanitas nodded. He knew Sora was right. He _did_ feel better whenever he ate, especially whenever it was something Sora or his mom made. But he wasn't about to tell him that. "So what's the deal with the fireworks?"

"Hm? Oh, it's new years."

"I get that," Vanitas rolled his eyes. "But what's the big deal? Isn't it just another year?"

Sora smiled and leaned back against the wall with his fingers laced behind his head. "I guess people see a new year as a chance at a new start. So they celebrate it. They have all sorts of traditions that they believe will grant them luck in the new year to come and some even make resolutions or goals that they want to accomplish once the new year starts."

Vanitas scoffed, "And how many actually achieve these resolutions that they make?"

Sora couldn't help chuckling as he saw the look of cynical amusement growing on Vanitas's face. "Honestly? Probably not very many. People set goals for really vague things like losing weight or being more active or pursuing something that makes them happy. And then maybe they'll do it for the first month or so...and then fall back into their old ways again."

"Figures. Do you have any resolutions?"

Sora shook his head. "Just taking everything one day at a time and making the most of what I got." He put a hand over his chest, "Every day I'm reminded of how close I came to not being here at all. So I don't want to take any of it for granted."

"Hm."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Vanitas quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, I know you didn't expect to end up this way and all, but you're trying to make the best of it, right? Got any goals in mind for your fresh start?"

"To be my own person, just like I told you when I first got here. I may not know who that person is yet, but I want to live long enough to find out on my own terms."

Sora nudged him playfully. "Well, I think you're well on your way. You'll get there, Vanitas. And hopefully sooner rather than later."

"Just keep Ventus away from me," Vanitas warned.

"Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to make sure he's taken care of. I just wish I knew what to do, exactly. If we let this darkness know that we're onto it, it might do something drastic," Sora pondered.

"If it hasn't already," the other teen grumbled solemnly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, btw, I keep forgetting, I have a twitter! Check me out if you'd like [@WingWVR](https://twitter.com/WingWvr)!


	35. Little Naps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nap time!

Today was exhausting.

Sora and Riku found out the results of their mid-terms. Riku made third from the top of his class. Sora was actually above average. Kairi was second from the top of their class. To celebrate, they went out for ice cream, but only after they finished all of their club activities.

Sora and Riku had to get fitted for their blitzball uniforms. Even after that, they did some aerobics drills and deep water breath-holding exercises. Kairi had volleyball. Afterwards, they barely had the energy to make the walk to Freezy Timmy's and Kairi didn't even want to look at her homework. Instead she opted to go home and do her homework during free period the next day while Sora and Riku went to Sora's place to do theirs together. As the two huddled over their work, they both complained about soreness in places they didn't expect.

"Are we out of shape, Riku?" Sora whined.

"Honestly, I don't know. It feels that way though, doesn't it?" Riku groaned as he rotated his shoulders.

"I just want to lay down!" the brunette moped.

"Then why don't we?" the silverette smiled as he stood up and stretched. "You're at a good stopping point, right?"

Sora returned the soft smile with a goofy grin, "Yeah, I am."

And that's how the two ended up passed out on Sora's living room couch, Riku on his back with Sora sprawled out on top of him with his face halfway buried in his neck. Riku was even snoring softly with his face partially buried in Sora's still slightly damp hair, both arms wrapped loosely around the smaller teen with his hands resting in the small of Sora's back. One of Sora's arms was buried in the couch somewhere and the other arm was looped under Riku's, barely resting on the couch as if it could fall off the edge at any moment.

The two hadn't meant to actually fall asleep, at least not for this long. So when Sora's mom came home and announced herself, Riku was a little dazed to say the least. In fact, Sora didn't even stir so in his sleepy state, Riku thought for a brief moment that he just imagined hearing a voice at all. But just as he was about to let his eyes drift closed again, he realized Sora's mother was standing in the doorway, smiling at the both of them.

Riku's face immediately reddened and he moved to get up, but Sora's mom put out a hand to stop him with a finger over her lips. "Don't wake him," she whispered with a smile.

"I'm sorry," Riku whispered quietly as he settled back into the couch. He wasn't sure why he was apologizing, to be honest, but he felt like it was the proper thing to do.

"Don't be," she chuckled quietly as walked over and kneeled next to the couch to run a hand through Sora's hair. "It's just like when you two were kids. You haven't changed a bit."

"Hm?" the older teen raised an eyebrow in silent amusement.

"When you were little, you two would play all day until you completely wore yourselves out. Then you'd come in for snacks and fall asleep just like this, but usually on the floor," she smiled fondly.

Sora stirred gently, fingers moving to grip at Riku's shirt as he continued to sleep, making the other two chuckle as they watched.

"Would you like to stay for dinner, Riku?" she asked softly.

Riku smiled, "I would, if you're offering."

"Of course. You're always welcome," she chuckled as she stood up and ruffled Riku's hair fondly. "You two rest for a little longer. I'll let you know when it's time to wash up."

Riku's eyes drifted closed with enjoyment as she ruffled his hair. "Okay, thank you," he murmured as he comfortably fell asleep once again.


	36. Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanitas interacts with Naminé, Roxas, and Xion.

"Would you like to draw with me?" Naminé asked.

Vanitas looked up at the blonde, slightly bewildered. "I didn't know you knew how to fight."

The blonde teenager blinked before laughing nervously, "Not draw weapons, silly. I meant with these!" She held up two sketchbooks and a large box of crayons. "How about it?"

The two ended up in the library together bent over the sketchbooks and sharing a box of crayons whose colors were spilled all over the table at this point. At first Vanitas wasn't even sure what to do, but Naminé said she'd heard he's been to all sorts of places and said she'd like to see them so he tried his best to draw what he could remember. He found himself avoiding drawing the Keyblade Graveyard because it was a lot of brown. He found he liked the other colors much better.

"Your hands are really pretty, Vanitas," Naminé noted as she watched him work. It was clear to her Vanitas wasn't in the best shape, but when he was thin like this, his hands were pale and his fingers were thin and elongated, making his sharp black nails stick out all the more.

"Huh?" Vanitas quirked an eyebrow. Nobody has ever told him anything like that. "Thanks?" He looked down at his own hand. To him it looked weak. "They don't always look like this," he muttered.

"I know," she smiled. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll be at 100% soon. I'm also happy you stopped wearing your helmet."

"Well I figured what was the point?" Vanitas huffed as he grabbed a purple crayon. "I don't need to hide my face anymore and back where Sora lives, it kept fogging up anyway."

Naminé suddenly giggled, "Oh no! I'm sure that was annoying."

Vanitas couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He liked hearing her laugh. It was soft and quiet, but it was so sweet too. That's when a realization dawned on him. "I've heard your voice before."

Naminé looked back down at her drawing, "You have?"

The teen nodded, "Yes. You stood up to Darkness, didn't you? That was your voice I heard."

"Is that what it is? Just Darkness?" Naminé asked gently while she gingerly reached for a black crayon.

"That's what it calls itself," Vanitas sighed as he stared back at his own sketchpad. He ruined the atmosphere and he's mad at himself for it. "You were brave, but I wouldn't recommend doing that again."

"I had to. It was hurting Sora," she said as if it were as simple as that but Vanitas could see her biting her lower lip ever so slightly.

"Well then I just hope you don't have to do it again," he added as he reached for a yellow crayon. He hoped it sounded reassuring and it must've worked because she smiled at him again.

"So what are you drawing, if it's not too soon to ask?" Naminé inquired.

He held up the sketch pad for Naminé to see. It looked very industrial with lots of orange pipes, blue buildings, and grey steam. "It's Monsters Incorporated. Besides the Keyblade Graveyard, this is one of the places I was first sent to when they brought me back."

"Wow, it's so detailed! I read in Jiminy's journal that it's like a power plant?" Naminé asked.

Vanitas set the sketchpad back down and began filling in a bunch of yellow cannisters. "From what I understand, they used to power their city with the screams of children. Master Xehanort told me it was a lot like...well...anyway I was sent there to get my strength back. But when I did, I found that they had changed their ways and used the power of laughter instead. Apparently it's a lot better and more sustainable. But that was useless to me. Luckily I found cannisters of excess scream."

"Is it still useless to you?" Naminé asked gently, "Laughter, I mean?"

Vanitas sighed and shifted slightly to avoid her gaze as he felt his cheeks get warm, "It has its uses, I suppose."

Naminé started giggling again, raising the back of her hand to her mouth in a weak effort to stifle her mirth. Vanitas dared to turn back toward her and gently raised his eyebrows in amusement. "So what are you drawing?"

She held up her sketchpad to show him a doodle of her, Roxas, and Xion all dressed up in their party outfits. "We had our first birthday party a little while ago. It wasn't actually on our birth date, but Roxas and I's are close to Christmas and Xion's is close to New Years and we wanted everybody to be able to come so we celebrated it early in the month," she explained. 

"Hm. I'm not so good with dates. I didn't even realize the new year was coming up."

Naminé set her sketchpad back down and started a new page, this time grabbing a brown crayon. "Yes, I imagine it must be very disorienting for you, after all that's happened."

"It's getting easier. Just one day at a time."

"That's good. But...I have been wondering. Can I ask a question?"

"You just did," Vanitas smirked.

Naminé giggled again, "Okay, can I ask another question after this one?"

"I suppose," Vanitas rolled his eyes and his head playfully while crossing his arms. "What is it?"

"Do you think...you'll always need Sora like this?" she asked softly. "I've seen what Darkness did to him. Is it the same?"

"That was two questions," Vanitas grumbled a little less playfully as he grabbed a green crayon. "But I guess I'll make an exception." Naminé gave him a small smile and as she tilted her head he found he couldn't help answering honestly. "What I do with Sora is similar to how I absorbed the cannisters of scream from that power plant. It's negative emotional energy. If you think of Sora like an orange, you can crush him until the juice comes out or...wait, maybe that's not the best metaphor..."

Naminé looked at him with a dumbfounded and slightly horrified look on her face, forcing Vanitas to backtrack but also curse himself inwardly. "Look, I only caught a glimpse of what Darkness did to Sora when I started gaining awareness so I don't know the full extent of what happened. But I can assure you I'm not hurting him LIKE THAT."

Naminé breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I am happy to hear that. I saw the memories that Darkness tried to erase. It was horrible. But it does hurt, doesn't it?"

Vanitas nodded, "I'm going through the memories that still bother him and I force them to the surface so that I can feed of the negative emotions caused by them. In that sense it's not much different from what those monsters used to do. He's strong and he even tries to protect me from seeing his pain so I have to coax it out of him sometimes. But he recovers quickly. I think it's different from what Darkness did. He sometimes even smiles afterwards."

"I'm sure he does," Naminé smiled. "I think he's happy that he can help you."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes. That's just who he is."

"Even so, I can't keep relying on his pain to keep me sustained. I'll have to find another source soon," he pondered while he grabbed another bright green crayon.

"Do you think maybe when you're ready, you can do what those monsters did?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. His own existence has been a paradox to him that he tried put into simple terms, but maybe that has become his own undoing. He knows darkness works but then...when he thinks of other things, the things that make him feel warm, like a soft voice or a gentle hand on his forehead, he begins to wonder and dares to hope. He looks up at Namine's hopeful face and gives a small shrug, "I don't think I would mind trying other things. Just as long as they don't make me a wuss."

"Impossible," Naminé laughed. "I'm sure you'll be just fine, if not stronger for it."

"I'm going to need to be if I'm going to stand a chance against Darkness," Vanitas sighed.

"Well we're all here for you, Vanitas. You're not in this alone," she assured him.

"No, you don't understand...there are things..." he growled as he felt a familiar pain build up in his chest. He tried his best to stifle it, but the memories were already starting to fill his mind. Things buried in Ventus from long ago that _he_ had to deal with, memories _he_ was stuck with.

"Vanitas, are you okay?" the blonde asked gently.

Vanitas stood from his chair while he covered his mouth, bumping the table hard with his knee in his haste. "OW!" In his outburst four Flood unversed suddenly burst from his body and started scuttling on the floor.

"Vanitas!" Naminé cried out in alarm as she scrambled out of her own chair and took a few steps back.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you!" he tried to assure her, but just then Roxas suddenly came in through the door.

"Unversed!? What the heck do you think you're doing!?" Roxas demanded as he summoned Oblivion.

"Roxas, STOP!" Naminé hurried over to grab Roxas's arm before he could aim a strike at one of the Floods. "Don't hurt them!"

Vanitas had already backed into a corner of the library where he was now surrounded by ten of the little creatures while he buried his face into his hands.

_It's almost time to finish what I've started._

"N-no," Vanitas whimpered into his hands as the chilling voice pierced through his racing thoughts.

_Soon._

"No, you can't!" the raven-haired teen cried out as he put his hands over his ears in an effort to block out the voices. But there wasn't anything he could do. The memories kept coming!

_Hellooooooo! Is anybody in here?_

_Hellooooooooooo?_

"VANITAS!"

He could hear Naminé calling out for him. He looked up to see both blonde teens looking at him with concern. "Don't look at me like that!" he practically hissed. "I don't want your pity!"

"Well that's fine," Roxas turned away. "But your buddies shouldn't stick around for too long. You look like shit."

Vanitas looked down at his hands. Sure enough they looked more frail than before. With a grunt he grabbed the floods around him and started reabsorbing each one. He felt better, but not by much. When he had finished, he looked up to see Naminé was still watching him with concern. "I said--"

"I know what you said," Naminé interrupted and offered him a hand to help him off the floor. "I didn't mean to offend."

"You don't have to apologize, Naminé," Roxas said firmly before turning back around to look at Vanitas. "And you need to be more careful."

Things were a little tense after that. Or maybe they weren't and Vanitas was making it harder than it had to be. Naminé insisted that it wasn't a big deal, but he still felt the need to isolate himself for a while, or at least a little more than he had before. When he couldn't stand sitting around in the guest bedroom, he wandered out into the woods outside the mansion. If he was especially bored, he'd send his Unversed to fight the heartless that resided there. The results were mixed but it was better than sitting around and dealing with his own thoughts...or listening to Ven's.

Ven's thoughts and feelings were still trickling through to him. But at least this time around they weren't all sickly sweet as if to mock Vanitas with how good Ventus was having it. Now he's sensing Ven's own thoughts of doubt, fear, and confusion. In a way, Vanitas was starting to hate how much he could relate to Ventus now. To distract himself, the blonde continues to work hard with his keyblade training, physically pushing himself until he's told to stop. Vanitas found himself sympathizing with the need to get stronger, but only just a little. Any shred of empathy he might have felt just soon gets replaced with mild disgust as he sees Ven bury himself in his cooking afterwards. Though and Ven both loved sweets, Vanitas knew Ventus overindulging in them was a symptom of him trying to fill some other void and to Vanitas the attempts felt pathetic.

One particular morning, Vanitas was feeling especially cranky. He hadn't slept all night because he could see Ventus having nightmares AGAIN, no doubt because Darkness was growing impatient. Without Vanitas's darkness in Ven's heart, Darkness can't keep control over Ven for very long if he were to control him as a vessel. Now its only options are to either find Vanitas or find a new host entirely. Said frustration has probably manifested into Ven's nightmares and it was really starting to tick Vanitas off because unlike Ven, HE actually remembers the nightmares once the night is over. Venty-wenty gets to wake up completely ignorant and only very slightly unsettled. Boohoo for Ven.

Thus, Vanitas had been stewing in his thoughts at the base of a tree since the crack of dawn. He didn't want to listen to everybody wake up as they carried out their morning routines. He didn't want to be present for the annoying clatter of silverware as they enjoyed breakfast together. He had no interest in their drowsy talk or hear them complain about how they still have homework and how they're too busy to do the list of chores Isa had assigned all of them. He just wanted to be left alone.

One by one little flood unversed peeled away from his body and skittered about aimlessly, occasionally turning to headbutt Vanitas himself who only swat them away with mild annoyance. "Cut it out," he grumbled as he swat another one that tried to ram into his thigh. He then lifted his leg to see another one gnawing ineffectually on his boot. "Really?" he sighed.

"What's eating you...literally?" Roxas asked, slightly startling Vanitas who hadn't sensed the blonde nearby.

"None of your business," Vanitas huffed as he kicked away the flood on his boot only for another one to swat him in the face.

"Heh," the blonde chuckled at the display as he sat next to the brunette. In his hand he had a pair of corn dogs, one of which he offered to Vanitas. "Here. You need to eat."

Vanitas rolled his eyes but he took the offered thing. "I'm supposed to eat this?"

"Yup, just not the stick," Roxas instructed. "If you eat it all, I got ice cream for you too."

"You don't need to bribe me like a child," the teen hissed but obediently bit into the corn dog anyway. The bread was sweet but the meat inside was savory. As far as food on sticks go, it wasn't so bad.

"I know you didn't ask for our help, alright? I get it. But I also know how hard it can be to adapt to so many things at once. In fact, you couldn't have ended up in a better place for that sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?"

"I dunno, solidarity, I guess? We may not relate to EVERYTHING you might've been through, but we're similar in some ways, right?"

"I suppose that much is true," Vanitas conceded as he continued to devour his corn dog. "But even so, how does any of that benefit me, exactly?"

Roxas shrugged. "Well, talking about what's bothering you can help, especially knowing that we can understand where you're coming from. Even if you don't want our advice, it could make you feel better to talk about whatever's bothering you. After all, it's gotta be better than...whatever's going on here," he gestured to the floods nibbling on Vanitas's elbows.

"Fine, I'll bite," Vanitas huffed. "You came from Sora directly. Do any of his thoughts leak into yours?" he asked but when Roxas didn't answer right away, he immediately wanted to withdraw the question. "Never mind, forget it."

Roxas answered anyway, "I wouldn't say his thoughts specifically, it's more of what his heart is feeling, especially if it's something intense."

"But you do feel something?" Vanitas asked, now intrigued.

"Definitely. Urgh, most of the time I don't mind it. But sometimes it's "Riku this" and "Riku that" and I get so annoyed! Like I'm happy for him, but sometimes I just want him to chill, or at least wise up and leave me out of it!" Roxas laughed bitterly before handing Vanitas some sea salt ice cream.

Vanitas couldn't help cackling as he accepted the ice cream, "It's just like Ventus!"

"Is it really?" Roxas asked as he bit into his own ice cream.

The dark-haired teen took a second to sample the ice cream before answering. _Salty...no...sweet! Weird!_ "When I was left by myself in the Keyblade Graveyard I would get glimpses of whatever Ventus was up to. It angered me to no end that he got everything he could ever want while I suffered through every second of my existence."

"That would piss me off, too," Roxas agreed as he rested his head against the trunk of the tree. "Reminds me of back then...when I was working with the Organization. Kept being told I was special but not why. Then I found out about Sora. Then it became Sora this and Sora that. I thought what makes this Sora guy so special? I have my own heart and my own memories. Why should I have to give up my life for his?"

"Did you ever find your answer?"

"Didn't get a chance to. Riku dragged me in kicking and screaming, apparently," Roxas laughed bitterly once again.

"Hmph. Do you still hate him for that?"

"Nah," Roxas shook his head. "I think when it all comes down to it, I would've done the same for any of my friends. Besides, I got him back good. So on that front, I'd call it even."

Vanitas actually laughed, a deep throaty laugh that echoed through the large trees. "Wish I could get back at Master Xehanort," he chuckled darkly.

"Yeah, sorry, Sora beat you to it," Roxas laughed. "But he was fighting for all of us. So I guess you can think of it as a shared victory."

"Maybe for you."

"Maybe, but he's fighting for you NOW isn't he?" the blonde pointed out.

"Is that what you'd call it?"

" _I_ think so," Roxas shrugged as he bit into the last remains of his ice cream. "He's helping you out while keeping you a secret from his other friends in order to protect you. Keeping secrets like that is hard for him to do."

"Hm."

"So don't you dare put his efforts to waste," Roxas warned as he stood up and brushed the grass off his backside. "Do your best, okay? Take care of yourself so you don't have to keep doing whatever it is you're doing. He's doing this because he believes you deserve a second chance. So prove to him you're making the most of it."

"Yeah, and what about you?" Vanitas scoffed. "When are you going to tell him about your deal? If you let him know he might be able to put a stop to it."

"Yeah, well," Roxas paused as he stretched his back out. "Like I said, it's okay for the time being. At least I know he's okay. To me, that makes up for it. And besides, I'm sure a lot of it is because of what happened with the Master of Masters. So for now, maybe there's a reason for it. If not, then no big deal."

"No big deal until it starts interfering with your own emotions, you mean?" Vanitas smirked knowingly.

"Eh!" Roxas took a step back as a little red threatened to appear on his cheeks. He then crossed his arms and turned around to hide it, "Look, I said it's fine for now. But since we're on the topic, you need to be careful as well. If you can sense what's going on with Ventus, there's a chance that the opposite is true as well. So keep yourself in check, will ya?"

"Hmph. What's this ice cream flavor called?"

"Sea Salt," Roxas answered as he headed back towards the mansion with a wave over his shoulder. "Next time, you're treating."

Sea salt ice cream seemed to be the favorite flavor of the Twilight Mansion residents, Vanitas soon found out. In the rare few instances he joined them for dinner, they would always head out into town together to eat the stuff, usually at the top of the clock tower and sometimes with other friends. On occasion he's been invited, but he found he didn't want to stick around very much after he's finished eating his, so he was always the first to return to the mansion by himself or sometimes he'd go as far as the ice cream shop and turn back and Naminé would go back with him.

Naminé was good, quiet company. Roxas was rough but he kind of liked how forward he was in what he had to say. Xion...Xion was something else. She could be tough like Roxas, but apologetic and sweet like Naminé. Vanitas found her hard to read at first but then it quickly became apparent that he was making it harder than it had to be. She wasn't so much complicated as much as she was...quirky.

She always seems to be in a hurry, but to what means, Vanitas wasn't sure. He's seen her breeze through her homework only to pull out a math book that neither Naminé or Roxas had and just scribble notes while quietly humming to herself until the others were finished, like she was actually having fun. She'd paint Naminé's nails, but she wouldn't paint her own. She liked braiding everybody else's hair, but kept her own cut short. Sometimes she and Roxas would go out into the woods and take down heartless together until Axel called them in for bed. Whether it was because she never seemed to sit still or because she wasn't as keen to talk to Vanitas as the other two, Vanitas hadn't really held many conversations with the brunette. He was fine with that, until he noticed something peculiar going on.

Whenever Vanitas did sleep, it wasn't unusual for him to have nightmares, nor was it unusual for him to wake up to find three or four floods in his bed. But on some nights, they would scurry about on their own accord and he'd have to track them down without waking anybody up. One night when he thought he found them all and went back to his room to sleep, he felt something strange in his chest. He felt warm and something in his stomach tickled. He even felt a tingling on the back of his neck where his hairline met the nape of his neck and it made his spine shiver. He'd almost call it pleasurable if it wasn't so strange. But as quickly as it came, it stopped.

Then he felt it again in the morning as he tried to sneak into the kitchen for something to nibble on before going outside again. The sensation in his neck startled him so much that he fell to his hands and knees! "What the--!?" This time it came in short little bursts and he felt it on his stomach AND neck at the same time. It freaked him out so much that he covered his mouth and ran outside without anything to eat so that nobody would hear the weird noises that were coming out of him. It was so bizarre! The only thing he could compare it to was when Sora cuddled one of his floods in the cave.

"Ugh..." he stuck his tongue out in disgust just remembering the icky warm feeling he got from the other teen touching an extension of himself. But then he wondered if there was something to it. Though he was sure all of the unversed he had summoned lately were accounted for, he noticed one tiny flood was unaccounted for. Through its eyes he could see it was in a room that he didn't recognize. He tried to get the flood to leave the room but it was stopped by none other than Xion who picked it up to give it a hug!

"Don't tell me..." he groaned as he felt the flood's body getting slightly squished in the female's embrace.

"You're so cute!" she cooed. "Are you hungry? Do you even eat?"

Suddenly Vanitas could taste the tell-tale flavor of sea salt ice cream as Xion fed the flood a little lick. "Okay, this has to stop!" he growled as he made his way back to the mansion.

"I think you need a name!" he heard Xion giggle. "How about Puppy?"

"Don't even think about it!" Vanitas practically shouted to himself as he finally reached the mansion and stomped his way towards Xion's room where he rapped on her door. "Xion!"

"Y-yes?" Xion quickly opened the door. "Everything okay?"

"You have something that belongs to me," he pointed curtly at the little purple creature on her bed.

"Aw, but can I keep him?" Xion begged.

"NO!" Vanitas insisted. "It's not a pet! It's a part of me!"

"But he's sooooooo cute!" Xion whined as she hurried over to pick up the twitchy red-eyed creature. She then proceeded to scratch it behind its antennae-like ears. "See, he likes me~"

Vanitas felt his knees start to buckle again as he grabbed the doorframe with one hand and covered his mouth with the other to stifle a moan. "Please stop that," he asked as nicely as he could possibly muster, but he sounded like a gargoyle when he did.

"You okay, Vani?" Xion asked as she looked at the struggling teen with concern. "You don't look well."

"VANI!?" he repeated. "Don't call me that!"

"Why not?" Xion pouted, unfazed by his angry outburst.

"What's going on here?" Axel asked, just now coming out into the hallway on his way to the kitchen to see the two bickering.

"Are you stirring up trouble, Vanitas?" Isa asked coldly.

"He wants to take Puppy from me!" Xion frowned while she continued to hold the flood protectively in her arms.

"It's not a puppy! Give it back!" Vanitas shouted, now losing his temper.

Axel tried to stifle his own laughter as he saw the creature in Xion's grip, "Pbbbbbbt!"

"Xion..." Isa said in a warning tone while he gave her a long stare.

Xion only grinned innocently while she stroked the top of the flood's head which quivered happily while poor Vanitas started crumbling to the floor. "Fine, I'll give it back, but only if you let me call you Vani."

"Or how about I just take it from you instead!" Vanitas shouted as he summoned his keyblade and aimed it for her, but she was just as quick on the draw with her own kingdom key.

"Ah ah ahhhhh~ You know the rules, Vani. No keyblades in the house," she grinned. "Do we have a deal?"

Vanitas growled. He could already tell by the look in her eyes that if he tried to take her on now he'd definitely lose. "Fine," he conceded as he dismissed his keyblade. "Now hand it over."

Xion giggled and kissed the flood on the top of the head, the creature giving a little purr before she let it go, making Vanitas even more flustered as he felt his own cheeks redden.

"Stupid traitor," he cursed under his breath as he kneeled to pick up the flood and reabsorb it. "Don't pull anything like that again!" he warned Xion before turning to walk away.

"Whatever you say, Vani~" Xion waved with a sweet smile.

_These people...maybe I'll see Sora tonight and get some peace and quiet._


	37. Pocky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys take a shopping detour!

"Let's take the long way home," Riku suggested.

"You mean through town?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, I need to get some shopping done. Want to come with me?"

"Hee, sure!"

Together the two walked through the marketplace. It was already bustling with people and even students who were looking to grab a bite to eat on the way home. As they navigated through the crowd, Riku kept a hold on Sora's hand as he pulled him along to the stalls that he already knew had the best deals during this time of the day. Sora couldn't help grinning giddily as he followed behind. Here, nobody would think twice about the two of them holding hands as they attempted to part through the crowd and the vendors here have already known them for so long that they don't even bat an eye. After all, it's Sora and Riku. They've always been this way.

"So what are you shopping for today, Riku?" Sora inquired.

"I need some more vegetables. I want to try adding more fruit to my lunches, too," he answered while he perused an orange stand.

"Eh? Craving something sweet?" Sora smiled.

"Perhaps," the elder teen shrugged as he paid for a small sack of oranges.

Sora also purchased a small bushel of red apples from the same stall and stuffed them into his backpack before slinging it back over his shoulder. "Had I known you wanted to go shopping, I would've brought my shopping bag."

"I only need a couple more things," Riku said simply, once again grabbing Sora's hand as he led him to the next stall.

"Wait, you're buying ingredients for sandwiches, aren't you? Don't you get tired of eating the same thing every day?" Sora asked.

"Well we're not all master chefs like you. And besides, my sandwiches have variety, too!"

"Uh-huh. Sure," the brunette smirked.

"If you have a problem with it, maybe you should make my lunch every day~" Riku joked.

"Don't tempt me, I just might!" Sora laughed. "I'll stuff you silly and then beat you in a race!"

"Why? Because you're going to fatten me up?" Riku laughed. "Not a chance. I doubt you could do that just by feeding me lunch. Not unless I stop doing physical activity altogether."

"Oh right, we're both doing blitzball!" the brunette snickered. "Darn, evil plan ruined."

"Sounds like your "evil plans" need work," the taller teen smirked.

While Riku shopped for some lettuce and tomatoes, Sora slipped away to grab some sweets. When he returned, Riku had finished and Sora automatically resumed holding his free hand while he considered buying some asparagus for himself.

"You two are as attached at the hip as always, aren't you?" the old shop lady chuckled.

Sora grinned toothily while Riku just gave a helpless shrug, making her laugh even more. Her husband came by with a large bushel of vegetables to refill the stall with and gave a less than amused scoff. "Thought you two would've outgrown that by now."

"Outgrown what?" Sora blinked.

"Oh leave them alone," the old lady scolded her husband. "Will that be all for you, dears?"

"Uh--"

"Yeah, we're done," Riku interrupted. "Thank you, ma'am. Take care." He then quickly dragged Sora away from the stall while avoiding eye contact with the shop keeper's husband, knowing he'd give away how angry he felt if he bothered.

Sora felt Riku's grip tightening on his hand as they walked. "Riku?"

"We can get you cheaper asparagus over here," Riku said simply.

"Oh...okay. But you know, I don't think I really want asparagus anymore," Sora said quietly before stopping and pulling Riku into a small alley between the buildings until they were out of sight.

"What's back here?" Riku asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to have a snack break," Sora grinned as he opened up a box of Pocky and offered Riku one of the chocolate-coated sticks. "Want one?"

"Heh, so you're trying to instigate your evil plan already?" Riku smirked as he accepted one of the thin biscuit sticks.

"You caught me," Sora grinned as he took one for himself and nibbled on the end of it. "Did...what that guy say bother you?"

Riku sighed as he bit into the sweet treat. "Nah. Not really."

"Hmmmm?" the brunette hummed, not really buying it.

"Maybe a little," Riku admitted.

Sora let the chocolate treat dangle from his mouth for a moment while he spoke. "Well you don't have to worry, Riku. I won't outgrow you. You're stuck with me," he grinned cheekily.

Riku couldn't help laughing, "Sora, I don't think that's what he actually meant."

"Then what?" Sora blinked.

The silverette gave Sora a hopeless smile before leaning in. "Never mind," he said softly before nibbling on the end of the pocky stick still hanging from Sora's lips, crunching away at it until their lips met in a sweet kiss.


	38. Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku have blitzball practice!

The funny thing about blitzball practice was that DI High didn't have a blitzball stadium to practice in. In fact the only blitzball stadium was in the center of the island much closer to Zan Academy, which was still too far for their team. With the swim team occupying the pool for the time being, the blitzball team was stuck practicing in the ocean, which wouldn't be too bad, except they had to swim quite far out in order for the water to be deep enough to practice in. There was one spot in particular that was roped off by the high school with buoys and nets that served as a "practice field" for their team so that they'd be safe from outside dangers while they practiced and was already approved to be safe from jagged rocks and the like for when they practiced. So the routine was to change into their practice uniforms, which were essentially shortened black wet suits with two bright blue stripes that went diagonally across the chest with one yellow sleeve, hop into the team truck which drove them to the beach, and then hop into the team boat which took them out into the ocean to their practice area, but only after they finished doing their stretches and warm ups on said beach. It seemed like a lot of effort just to get to a practice area, but Wakka insisted that if everybody would just hurry up with their drills, they'd get a lot more practice time in.

As the team carried out their stretches, Riku was helping Wakka and Tidus was assisting Sora.

"So have you two seen the team from Zan Academy?" Tidus asked as he pushed against Sora to help him with his hamstring stretches.

"Actually--OW--not so hard!" Sora scolded. "We saw some of them during new years. They seem alright."

"Wouldn't be too sure of that, mon," Wakka chimed in. "I heard the team this year plays dirty outside the ring."

"What do you mean by that?" Riku asked.

"Not sure. Just that the seniors that graduated last year said they dig up dirt on you," Wakka explained.

"Yeah, that's what I heard too!" Tidus grunted as Sora helped him with his stretches next.

"Dirt?" Sora asked. "Like blackmail?"

"Yeah, but it's cool, right?" Tidus laughed. "I mean what do any of us have that could be used as blackmail material? HAHAHA!"

After they finished their stretches and practiced a few passes, the team took the boat out to the practice area. One by one they dived in and treaded the water while Wakka assigned their positions. The aquatic sport is normally played in a spherical stadium filled with pyrefly-infused water. The sphere pool uses pyreflies to congeal the water into a sphere. Thanks to this, Blitzball players can stay active underwater for extended periods because they are sustained by the pyreflies contained in the water. Even so, each game lasts two five-minute sessions and inhaling water can be dangerous. So they must practice good breathing control. During practice they won't be staying underwater for nearly that long because obviously the ocean isn't teeming with magical pyreflies, so Wakka gave strict instruction for them to come up at the appropriate intervals and to signal when it's time for them to take in air.

There are eight players on the main team: three fielders, four defenders, and one goalkeeper. Based on their speed, Sora and Tidus have been assigned as two of the fielders and Riku and Wakka make up two of the defenders. There are also another eight members who make up the second string who act as the opposing team during practice and who switch out if the main team gets injured. They're mostly made up of the freshman and sophomore members of the team. After their briefing, they dived down and began the mock match!

Very quickly, it became apparent to Sora why there were so many defenders. Blitzball is a rough sport! As soon as Sora had control of the ball for even a second, the other team's fielders were on him in a heartbeat! Riku did a good job of defending him as he made it out of the mess, quickly passing the ball to Tidus to make it further down the field and Wakka gave them a thumbs up for their hustle just before he had to rescue Tidus as well. The main team scored a point very quickly, so they all went up again for air and to get feedback on how they played.

"You did good, you two!" Wakka nodded to Sora and Riku. "But Sora, you gotta be quicker when you make your passes! The defenders can only do so much to keep the others off of you!"

"Got it, captain!" Sora nodded.

"And Riku, make sure you help defend the others, ya?" Wakka winked.

"Right," Riku nodded.

"Good! Let's go again! Mo and Percy, you're starting this time!"

"Right!" the whole team nodded before they dived back down.

The next round happened so fast it was like a whirlwind! Riku was guarding Mo who had excellent control of the ball but was quickly attacked by one of the fielders before he then passed it to Tidus. Two of the defenders were looking out for Tidus but for some reason he panicked and passed to Sora who suddenly had two fielders on him and had two other defenders blocking his chances of passing to anybody else. The nearest defender he had was Wakka and even he was too far away so Sora swam for it with everything he had only to be SLAMMED by another defender, one of the heaviest sophomores on the second string! The impact sent the ball into his chest where one of the studs on the ball pressed into him in the perfectly worst possible way: straight into the large scar on his sternum. He instantly let out a gasp, all of his air supply leaving him as the defender and the fielders left with the ball. Nobody seemed to realize that he might've been in distress except for Riku who felt panic through their connection and turned to see Sora clutching his chest! He quickly abandoned his team mate to swim for Sora, but Wakka was already on it, scooping the smaller teen up with one arm and quickly swimming with him towards the surface!

When Riku caught up, Wakka already had Sora on the team boat, who was leaning over the side and vomiting all the water he swallowed!

"Is he alright?" Riku shouted as he climbed into the boat.

"Ya! Just took a rough hit, is all. You okay, Sora?"

Sora continued to choke and sputter until he couldn't take it anymore and unzipped the front of his wet suit so he could finally breathe without the tight waterproof fabric constricting him. With a loud gasp he clutched the side of the boat until he could finally get his breathing to calm. "Y-yeah, I'll be okay."

"You sure?" Wakka asked, now very concerned that it was taking Sora this long to recover. This was clearly more serious than Sora just getting the wind knocked out of him.

"Sora?" Riku asked gently, inching closer and putting his hand on the brunette's shoulder. "How bad is it?"

Sora turned around to both of them and removed the hand from his chest to look down. The dark scar tissue on his chest was heavily bruised and already nearly purple in color, earning a wince from both Riku and Wakka...Wakka especially since this is the first time he's even seen the scar!

"AYE YA!" the captain gasped.

"I-I don't think it's as bad as it looks," Sora said shakily. "It just startled me is all. I can still play!" he insisted.

Riku reached out to touch it, earning a flinch from Sora, but he held still as the elder teen checked for anything more serious. "Does it hurt when you breathe? I don't think I feel anything broken."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sora forced a smile to assure Wakka who was still looking at him with deep concern. By now all their team mates have broke the surface to make sure he was okay. "I'm sure it just bruised because the scar is still healing. It's not that bad, I promise!"

"Well, if you're sure, ya?" Wakka chuckled, ruffling Sora's wet hair before looking to the rest of the team. "He's alright! We go back down in one minute!"

"Yes, captain!" the rest of the team shouted.

Riku looked back to Sora. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I am," Sora smiled gently as he zipped his wet suit back up. "I'll heal it when we get back."

"Okay," Riku smiled back, nudging Sora gently with his fist before diving back into the water with the rest of the team and Sora followed right after.

After Wakka scolded Tidus for that terrible pass, both teams carried out the rest of the match without much a of a hitch. Both teams got a lot of good tackles in without any incidents like Sora's and by the time practice was over, the team was EXHAUSTED. As they rode back to the high school to shower and go home for the day, they all praised each other for how well they did that day. One of the freshman even asked if he could see where Sora got hit.

Sora smiled sheepishly and showed off the scar and bruise, which had the entire team gasping at how gnarly it looked!

"WHOA! Where did that scar come from?" the freshman asked.

"A sword fight with a thief!" the brunette grinned, making Riku roll his eyes, but it was as good an excuse as any. At least Sora was able to say SOMETHING about it at all.

Gasps of "Whoa!", "Really!?", and "No way!" erupted from the entire team as they begged for more details but Sora could only assure them that the thief got his just punishment in the end and that he doesn't remember too many of the details in the middle before he zipped his wetsuit back up.

"Did you get any scars from your time at sea, too, Riku?" one of the sophomores asked, earning a startled look from the elder teen.

"Uh, just a couple," he answered quietly while lifting his own left wrist to point at the faded scar there.

"You've always been better at blocking than Sora is!" Tidus quipped, earning laughter from the rest of the team.

"You got me there," Sora agreed with a chuckle.

The team bonded the whole way back, each team member showing off their own battle wounds, though they all agreed none were as epic as Sora and Riku's, there were a few impressive ones like from bites from very large fish, broken bones, and getting snagged with giant fishing hooks. For what felt like the first time ever, Sora didn't have second thoughts about joining the team in the showers and despite his injury, he was in a good mood as he walked home with Riku.

"You staying for dinner?" Sora asked Riku as they held hands on the way home, the sun already starting to set.

"Sure," Riku smiled but then frowned as he could see the darkened spot on Sora's chest through his white school shirt. "I'm sorry you got hurt."

"It's fine, really," Sora assured him with a squeeze of his hand. "It stings, but I'll heal it as soon as we go to my room. I'll just have to make sure not to hold the ball like that when I'm about to be tackled."

"Or I'll have to make sure you don't get tackled in the first place."

"That wasn't your fault, Riku," Sora snorted. "That was a bad pass and we all know it!"

"Even still..."

"Come on, it's a game and things are bound to happen," Sora nudged him gently with his elbow. "We can't get all riled up over every little thing otherwise we won't be having fun."

"I guess that's true," Riku nodded.

"But if you waaaaant~" the brunette grinned mischievously. "You can kiss it better for me."

"I might consider that," the silverette grinned as they headed inside.

Meanwhile unbeknownst to the teens, they were being watched. After the two were out of sight, a teen from across the way flipped through the pictures on his phone: a picture taken from the beach as Sora showed his scar to Wakka and a picture of Sora and Riku holding hands on the way home. "Let's see what the captain will make of these."


	39. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Here I go  
>  through the blue  
> off to see you_
> 
> _All I want to do  
>  is make love to you  
> To see your face  
> To hold you in my embrace_
> 
> _But as I go  
>  into the wide blue  
> I see everything  
> Except you_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku sang the above song in a dream of mine. Unfortunately those are all the lines I can remember.

Riku found himself walking beneath an endless expanse of stars with water at his feet. Scattered about were dark stones that he couldn't clearly make out but they seemed to reflect the stars in the sky. He could see the water rippling at his feet as he took slow steps. Though he could hear the impact of his boots on the water, not a drop of it splashed as he moved through it, which resulted in an eerie sort of silence that made him feel incredibly lonely. As he walked, he found himself staring up at the sky; found himself hoping he'd see the one that matters most. While he searched the stars above him, he quietly sang a tune to himself to break the lonely silence.

_Here I go  
through the blue  
off to see you_

_All I want to do  
is make love to you  
To see your face  
To hold you in my embrace_

_But as I go  
into the wide blue  
I see everything  
Except you_

As he wanders, he wonders if he's seen this place before. A place of sea and sky...it sounds like something Sora described to him once. "Feels about right..." he muttered to himself as he takes a seat on one of the jutting rocks. "It's beautiful, just like he said. But it's lonely, too." He idly reaches for the stars as he he thinks about Sora, or more specifically the Starlight version of him he sees in his dreams, only for his fingers to reach what felt like a barrier of water. It ripples and he gasps in wonder as the stars above move to form the barest outline of Sora who touches his fingertips to Riku's as he lies on the barrier above him.

"Sora!" he cried out as he sits taller to fully press his palms against the invisible barrier that rippled beneath his touch. Though he was only made of the tiniest of twinkling stars, he could feel the warmth of the starlight sprite's palm against his own as he smiled softly down at him. Riku tried to calm his excitement at seeing the other again but he was so relieved to see him again! "I missed you," he said. "Can you come down?"

The starlit teen sadly shook his head as he continued to lay amongst the stars. At the forlorn expression, Riku felt his heart ache but he tried to force an optimistic smile. "That's okay, I'm just happy to see you at all."

_"To claim to love somebody that you already perceive as beyond reach is a tragedy in itself."_

Sora's words suddenly echoed through the star-filled expanse, piercing the otherwise peaceful silence. Riku looked around for the source but he saw nothing, just more darkness and pinpricks of light above a seemingly infinite sea. He looked back up to see Starlight Sora looking dimmer as he continued to give him a small enigmatic smile.

"You're not leaving me again, are you?" Riku asked tentatively. "This isn't good-bye, is it?"

The teen took his hand that wasn't pressed against Riku's and put it over his own heart before pointing to Riku's in an almost predictable fashion that made Riku chuckle with exasperation. "You say that, but somehow I'm still worried. Even now you look like you're fading away."

Sora shook his head and tapped on the barrier which rippled beneath his fingertip. When Riku tilted his head and gave him a quizzical look, the other's face suddenly furrowed in a pained expression. Starlight Sora suddenly bit his lower lip and raised a fist to pound into the barrier, emitting a hollow sound like he was banging against thick glass. The sudden outburst startled Riku to say the least as the surface rippled so much from the other's fists that he couldn't even make out the teen on the other side.

The more the other struggled, the more the ground shook beneath Riku. Suddenly he felt like he was falling and he awoke to find himself in bed once more, his heart pounding and cold sweat dripping down the sides of his face. Cursing under his breath, he ran a hand through his hair to find it practically soaked. "I need some air..." he mumbled to himself while unbeknownst to him, his eyes emitted a fierce fuchsia through the dark.

On the play island in the secret cave, Sora had come out lazily dressed in his pajama bottoms and a long sleeved red t-shirt to greet Vanitas who was waiting for him in a black button-up shirt and black jeans. "Took you long enough," the yellow-eyed teen smirked.

Sora let out a long yawn, "Well you could give me a little more notice if you're coming, you know." Though slightly irritated, he did shoot Vanitas a smile. "How have you been?" he asked while he lifted his lantern a little higher to see him properly. The raven-haired teen had a little more color in his face and didn't look as terribly thin as he did last time. He even had some muscle mass returning and his hands looked less delicate than they had before.

"Okay, I guess," Vanitas shrugged as Sora sat beside him.

Sora gave a little shiver as he sat against the cold rock wall. With the winter months it was slightly chilly outside. The walls of the cave were a good shelter from the wind coming off the ocean but the vines that hung over the entrance of the cave did very little to stifle the stiff breeze that came through on occasion. "How are you liking Twilight Town?"

"Getting used to it. It's quiet most of the time. Xion keeps hiding my Unversed and naming them Puppy." Sora snorted before letting out a laugh that rang through the cave, making Vanitas roll his eyes with a huff. "It's not funny!"

"Yes it is!" Sora insisted while playfully elbowing Vanitas.

"Okay, that's enough!" Vanitas growled before tackling Sora to the ground, the brunette still laughing beneath him even as he straddled his waist.

"Oh come on! Don't be so grouchy!" the teen snickered even as he's pinned down.

"I wouldn't be grouchy if you weren't laughing at me," the teen on top scoffed as he settled on top of the giggling keyblade master.

"Aw come on, Vanitas," Sora gave one last small chuckle as he calmed his mirth.

"Can we do this now?" he asked as he reached a hand for Sora's neck. "Naminé's waiting up for me back at the mansion."

Sora gave a small smile before his expression turned serious, finally closing his eyes so Vanitas can do what he needs to do.

It's midnight. Riku thought about going back to sleep, but he didn't want to risk returning to his own dreams. He couldn't even remember the nightmare he woke up from. All he knew was that whenever he tried to recall it, he felt like a heavy stone had landed in the bottom of his stomach. He gently probed for Sora only to find Sora didn't even seem to be asleep. In fact, when he tried reaching through the connection at all, it was like hitting a closed door. Though he thinks it's a little unusual he doesn't think much of it. After all, Sora's entitled to keep to himself every now and then. When he couldn't sleep, he decided to get some fresh air after all and headed to the play island to hang out at the paopu tree.

He was dressed in gray sweats and a white t-shirt and already regretting the choice slightly as the cool ocean breeze whipped through his cold, sweat-soaked hair. But at the same time, he found the salty breeze refreshing even as he pulled his knees to his chest. With a sigh, he looked up at the stars and felt a tiny pang in his heart as they reminded him of the small smile he saw in his dreams...a smile that hid sadness. "It hurts," he groaned as he buried his face into his knees. "I don't know what any of it means." He let out a hollow laugh as he clutched his own calves. "How does Sora do it? Listening to your own heart can be so confusing. Maybe I'm overthinking this."

Suddenly he hears something akin to a loud moan from the beach behind him. At first he doesn't pay it any mind. After all, when it's this windy, the trees and the caves make all sorts of noises. But then he heard screaming from the cave and quickly turned around. "Sora!?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!" Sora screamed and sobbed as Vanitas kept his wrists pinned down on both sides of his head. Vanitas had reached the memories that only he had, the memory of his friends getting devoured by the demon tide during the Keyblade War. Behind tightly shut eyes he could see Riku getting torn apart by darkness before his very eyes before the demon tide came for him next! "IT HURTS!" he cried as his body desperately tried to throw Vanitas off of himself.

Vanitas held steadfast as he absorbed the dark emotions that were now practically pouring out of Sora. The downfall of his friends definitely inflicted wounds that still ran very deep, even now. "Are you still afraid?" he asked as he kept Sora pinned down, not even having to squeeze the other's throat this time to keep the fear flowing. "Are you afraid of it still happening again?"

"YES!" Sora screamed as he continued to thrash. "NEVER AGAIN! I don't ever want to see it again!!"

Finally Vanitas granted him mercy, letting go of Sora's wrists so he can cup both of Sora's tear-stained cheeks. "If you defeat Darkness, it won't have to happen again," he assured him as Sora's cries died down to quiet, sputtering hiccups. Through the dark he looked down at his own hands to see his fingers looking fuller than he's seen them in a long time. He couldn't help smiling to himself as he brushed Sora's tears away with his thumbs. He felt stronger than he had in ages and it was all thanks to Sora's fear. But even so, why did he stop himself from continuing? Why was he comforting him now when he could just take more? But even as he asked himself these questions, looking down at Sora's vulnerable and trusting face between his hands seemed to give him the answer, even if he didn't quite understand it.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

Riku's angry voice echoed like thunder through the small cave, startling and stunning both teens who couldn't even react even as the silver-haired teen burst into the cave and grabbed Vanitas by the back of his shirt before chucking him outside the cave with one hand!

"Riku!! RIKU, WAIT!" Sora called after him, scrambling to his knees as Riku stomped outside where Vanitas landed and tumbled on the beach.

Riku couldn't hear anything. He only saw red! When he heard Sora's screams coming from the cave he went to investigate only to find him seemingly pinned to the ground by an enemy he thought had been eliminated during the Keyblade War! So many questions were flashing through his mind but first and foremost he wanted to punish whoever it was that DARED to put a hand on Sora!

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Vanitas shouted as he struggled to get to his feet. Just one look at Riku told him the keyblade master was out for blood. His fierce green eyes cut through the dark as they glared daggers through his body. As soon as he summoned his keyblade, Vanitas's eyes widened in fear and suddenly Unversed started ripping themselves from his body to surround him. "STAY BACK!" he warned again.

Riku was unfazed as he summoned a ball of dark firaga in his fist. "You're going to lose it all!" he shouted. But just as he was about to lunge for Vanitas, Sora collided into his back, sending him face down into the sand.

"RIKU, STOP!" Sora cried out as Riku instinctively tried to throw him off.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Riku shouted as he rolled over and threw Sora off of himself. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

"Vanitas, GO!" Sora shouted at the other teen who still hesitated to do anything at all.

"NO, YOU STAY THERE!" Riku demanded as he charged one more time, ready to aim a strike at one of the larger unversed that stood between him and Vanitas. But just as Vanitas summoned his own keyblade to defend himself with, Sora jumped in between Riku and the Unversed, using Kingdom Key to block his attack! "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Sora's eyes widened as Riku yelled at him, his eyes were a striking pink and he had clearly gone berserk! He held steadfast as he shoved Riku back, once again yelling at Vanitas to get out of there! "JUST GO!"

Vanitas summoned a portal of darkness and gave one last look at Riku and Sora as they struggled before biting his lower lip and disappearing, along with the Unversed.

Now that the object of his anger was gone, Riku had nothing to focus on but Sora who was still pushing back against him, their keyblades locked in a standoff as each tried to take control of the situation.

"Tell me what's going on!" Riku practically spat as he shoved back against Sora. "WHY WERE YOU WITH HIM!?"

"NOT UNTIL YOU CALM DOWN!" Sora shouted back before giving one last hard shove, sending Riku slightly off-balance. He only stumbled back for a second, but it was enough of an opening for Sora to lunge forward and grab Riku's left wrist which seemed to instantly snap Riku out of his rage-induced trance. The fierce color in his eyes dimmed to a stormy green, but he was calm enough to dismiss his keyblade so Sora could rush forward to embrace him. "Riku!"

Still stunned, Riku couldn't even bring himself to return the hug. He stood there dumbfounded as the wind whipped around them and somehow he felt even colder than he had before. "Sora..."

"Riku," Sora whimpered as he pulled back to study Riku's face. "Riku, it's not what it looks like."

"Then WHAT?" Riku asked through grit teeth as he did his best not to yell at the quivering teen. "WHAT was that?"

Sora quickly explained the situation with Vanitas as he wrung his own shirt in his hands, afraid to look at Riku as he felt the anger rising through their connection. After he finished speaking, there was a long silence between the two of them, a silence that made the cold wind feel like shards of glass piercing through his skin as he waited for Riku to say something, ANYTHING. Finally, he felt Riku's fingers reach for his neck and gently trace the small bruises that Vanitas's fingers had left there. He could feel the older teen's fingers trembling as they touched him. With a sharp sob, Sora looked up at Riku's expressionless face, "Please! Riku, say something!"

"Why did you keep this from me?" he asked, stone-faced.

"I didn't know--I mean...I didn't mean for it to be like this. I just...I knew you wouldn't--"

"What if something had happened to you and I had no idea you needed help?!" Riku shouted angrily, startling Sora who took a step back.

"You trust me to take care of myself, don't you?" Sora asked, slightly hurt.

"YES! But when it comes to things like this, I worry about you all the time! Because you never take your own needs into account first!" the elder teen roared as he whirled around and punched a hole through the rickety wooden shed.

"RIKU!"

"So does everybody else know EXCEPT me?"

"Riku, please! It's not like that!"

"But it's true, isn't it!?"

"NO! It's just the ones in Twilight Town! Kairi doesn't know either. Nobody else knows!" Sora insisted.

"Sora, this whole thing is very serious!!! Why didn't you tell me what was going on!?"

"YOU WEREN'T THERE!" Sora screams out unexpectedly, but he's not talking about Vanitas. He's talking about something he's forgotten, but his heart remembers. He clasped his hands over his mouth as tears threatened to flow from his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm always beside you!" Riku reached out and grabbed Sora by the shoulders as the teen trembled.

"NO! No, no you weren't! And I'm not saying it's your fault! It's nobody's fault! It's just...when I felt that world falling to darkness and we told Yen Sid about it, I was told not to worry about it and then look what happened!"

"That world is fine now, even without our interference! I don't see your point!"

"That world was calling out for ME and you guys left me behind! I know WHY you did, but that doesn't mean it hurt any less! Vanitas came to me! He needed my help! I wasn't going to fail him too!"

"He's the enemy, Sora!"

"WAS!" Sora stated firmly.

Riku let out a long sigh before casting curaga on Sora as he couldn't stand looking at those bruises any longer. Then he finally pulled Sora into his arms and buried his face into his tousled hair, the gritty sand stuck in it abrasive against his cheek. "Sora...I want you to trust and follow your heart always. But...I also want you to tell me where it's leading you. You promised you wouldn't leave me behind, remember?"

Sora couldn't hold back the tears any longer as he gripped at Riku's shirt, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, Riku..."

"I'm not saying you have to seek my approval all the time. All I want is to be there for you to pick you back up if you fall," Riku said softly. "Please?"

Sora nodded into his chest, "I'll do better. I won't leave you out again. But the same goes for you, alright?"

"Right. No more getting left behind," Riku promised as he held Sora tighter.

Back in Twilight Town, Naminé watched by the window as she waited for Vanitas to return. She was already dressed for bed in a blue night dress and wrapped up in a comfy white bathrobe but she wanted to make sure Vanitas got back safely before going to bed herself. When she saw the portal of darkness appear in the courtyard, she smiled with relief but the relief quickly turned to worry as she saw the expression on Vanitas's face before he fled for the woods. As he fled, he was followed by a swarm of Unversed that looked nothing like the floods she was used to seeing. "Vanitas!" she cried out with worry as she hurried to Roxas and Xion's rooms as they were the closest to hers. "ROXAS! XION! Wake up! It's Vanitas!"

In the woods, Vanitas huddled in the darkest part he could find, away from the sun, away from any glimmer of light as he braced himself against the fragments of his own heart that pelted him with their fury. As much as it hurt, he couldn't bring himself to care. All he could see was Sora's face as he shouted at him to leave. He felt terrible! He felt...guilty? Did he feel guilty for possibly coming between Sora and Riku? "Why should I care!?" he shouted as he threw a punch at one of the unversed that chomped on his arm. "What's the point of caring about others if it's just going to hurt anyway!?" he roared with frustration as he kicked at another Unversed before another knocked him to the ground. "At least when it's just me, nobody else gets hurt..." he huffed bitterly. _I didn't used to care before. It was always me versus everything. But now..._

"Vanitas!" Naminé's voice rang through the woods followed by the grunts of Xion and Roxas as they raced towards him.

"Naminé?" Vanitas questioned as the blonde knelt beside him and hoisted him up, letting him lean on her while she helped him walk someplace safer. Meanwhile, Xion set up a barrier to protect them from the Unversed attacks while Roxas summoned both Oathkeeper and Oblivion to help hold them off if they break through.

"Pull yourself together!" Roxas shouted as he cast curaga on Vanitas.

"I can't!" Vanitas shouted. "They won't listen to me!"

"Vanitas, what happened?" Naminé asked as she helped him take a seat on a log.

"Riku happened," Vanitas growled.

"Aw man!" Roxas sighed, as if that explained everything. "Was he pissed?"

"Is that even a question?" the raven-haired teen retorted. "Then he and Sora started fighting and I just..."

The trio looked at Vanitas with concern. He didn't have to say it. They all had a good idea of what he was feeling.

"They'll be alright, Vanitas," Xion assured him in a soft voice. "You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried!" Vanitas spat a little more harshly than he meant to, but instead of flinching, Xion gave him a cheeky grin. "...Are you sure?" he mumbled.

Naminé nodded. "They'll get through it."

"I mean it might take a hot minute. They're both pretty thick," Roxas snickered.

Vanitas couldn't help chuckling too and one by one the unversed dispersed, leaving the four alone in the woods once more.

"Well well well," Axel's voice echoed through the trees as the red-head approached them dressed in nothing but a black silk robe and bunny slippers. "Since you're all so wide awake, you can all go back and wash the dishes that you were "too tired to do"."

"Awwwww!" they all collectively groaned as they walked back with him.

"But there are so many!" Xion whined as she tugged on Axel's sleeve.

"There wouldn't be so many if you would stop putting off your chores!" the redhead scolded.

"I'll help," Vanitas contributed quietly, earning a bright smile from Naminé.

"Yeah, with the four of us, it shouldn't take too long," Roxas yawned.

The next morning, Sora awoke to find himself in Riku's bed and panicked as he saw light spilling in through the window. He looked down to see Riku hadn't even awoken yet, so he scrambled to find the elder teen's phone on the night stand.

"Safe!" Sora sighed with relief as he realized it was Sunday morning. They didn't have school today. That being said, he should probably hurry back home before his parents realize he's not there. As much as he hated to break away from Riku's grip, he feared worrying his parents more. "Riku," he whispered. "I need to go, but I'll come back if you want."

"Hng..." Riku groaned as he gripped Sora's waist tighter. "Gotta change your bandages first," he muttered.

Sora blinked before laughing. He must still be half-asleep. "I don't have bandages anymore, remember?"

"They're in the bag, I brought plenty," Riku mumbled as he pressed his face into Sora's chest.

Sora let out a squeak of surprise as the elder teen nuzzled into his pectoral. Riku's forehead felt SCALDING hot! "Riku! You're burning up!" He quickly pulled away from him and put a hand on Riku's forehead. Sure enough, he was incredibly warm and he looked very pale! "Stay here, I'm going to get you some medicine!" he instructed as he pried himself from the other's grasp.

"Noooooooooo!" Riku whined as he tried to crawl out of the bed after Sora, only to fall to the floor in a heap!

"Riku!" Sora sighed with exasperation as he hurried over to help lift the larger teen back into bed. "STAY! I'll be right back!"

"But I'm fine!"

"No! Stay!" the brunette commanded once more as he pulled the sheets back over Riku. "Don't move!"

"I'm hungry," Riku pouted, earning a giggle from Sora.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you. I'll be back before you know it," Sora giggled as he leaned over to give Riku a kiss on the forehead. "Just give me five minutes."

"I'll give you two," Riku mumbled before letting out a loud yawn and falling back to sleep.


	40. Worried Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku's sick!

When Sora returned to Riku's place, arms laden with bags full of cold-treatment supplies, he wasn't too surprised to see the older teen had attempted to get out of bed again only to once again end up in a heap on the floor. This time, however, it appeared that Riku had managed to take a shower and halfway dressed himself and just passed out before he could get back into bed.

"Rikuuuuuuu!" Sora scolded as he helped him off the floor. "I told you I'd be right back!"

"Don't tell Sora I'm sick," Riku mumbled.

If he weren't busy slinging Riku's body over his shoulder, Sora would've facepalmed. Clearly the other's fever had not gotten any better, even with a shower. In fact his hair was still very wet, so he lowered him back to the floor since Riku was resisting being moved anyway. "Just sit here for a minute, let me help you."

"Dun need help," Riku practically droned as if he were about to fall asleep, slowly hunching over for every second he was forced to sit up.

Sora was quickly behind him with a fresh towel and started fluffing Riku's hair dry for him, earning quiet moans from the sick teen as he enjoyed the treatment to his scalp. As Sora tried to dry it for him, he noticed it was taking a little longer than he expected so he stopped to run a hand through his still very damp silver locks. "Your hair's getting so long, Riku!" he admired as he played with the damp tips in his fingers. It was now already the same length in the back as it was before their Mark of Mastery exam with Master Yen Sid.

"So?" Riku practically purred as Sora ran his fingers through his hair. It felt absolutely divine and soothed the pain he was beginning to feel in his temples.

"It's pretty~" Sora cooed as he grabbed the hair brush he brought with him and started gently going through it, earning more mewls of appreciation from Riku.

"Mmmm...I'm glad you think it's pretty," the teen murmured as he leaned back into Sora. "Only you, though."

"Only me, huh?" the brunette giggled as he carefully untangled the tousled mess he's made of Riku's hair. When it still wasn't dry enough for his liking, he grabbed the hairdryer and leaned backwards to plug it into the wall behind him before putting it on its low setting and carefully using it on the older teen's hair.

"Nooooooooooooo. Too hot!" Riku whined as he tried to scooch away but Sora wrapped his legs around his waist to force him to stay put.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go to bed with wet hair!" the smaller teen apologized as he tried to be quick about it despite Riku's weak resistance. When he was finished, Riku's hair looked a little poofy but at least it was dry! "See, all done!"

"I'm still hungry," the elder teen reminded Sora, his statement further punctuated with a loud growl from his stomach. 

"Well I would've fed you by now if you would've stayed in bed like I told you to!" Sora playfully scolded as he finally helped Riku get off the floor and forced him to get back into bed. After he pulled the covers back on top of him and made sure he was tucked in, he rifled around in the bags he brought with him. "Let's seeeeeeee, ah! Here we go!" He whipped out a box of cold compresses and hurried to put one on Riku's forehead. "This is going to be cold, but it'll help with your fever," he warned as he gently brushed the silver strands away from his forehead before applying the sticky cold compress.

Riku sighed appreciatively as he felt the cold gel against his forehead, eyes fluttering closed as he relaxed against the pillow. "Feels nice," he murmured.

"Good!" Sora chuckled as he leaned in to kiss Riku on the cheek. "Now just stay here and I'll make you breakfast. No moving!" he warned with a finger in Riku's face which the teen immediately tried to bite. "I'll be right back. And then after you eat, I can give you some cold medicine."

"Fiiiiiiine," Riku sighed as he burrowed further under the blankets.

"Heeeeee~" Sora gave a cheesy grin before grabbing more of the shopping bags and hurrying down to the kitchen. "Now, how does that saying go? Starve a cold, feed a fever?" he pondered. "Eh, whatever. I'll just make him a veggie omelet. There's no way I can make him a soup for breakfast...not unless it's miso." With a shrug he decided to just stick to the omelet, but while it sizzled in the pan, he started boiling some stock in a large pot on the back burner so he can make Riku some chicken soup for later.

Meanwhile, Riku stewed upstairs with a dead-eyed stare at the ceiling while his head continued to pound. He felt terrible, but there was something comforting about the smell emanating from the kitchen and the soft humming he could hear from the brunette as he cooked. As tired as he felt, his stomach wouldn't let him fall asleep so he just laid there miserably while he waited. So when his phone suddenly started going off, it was a welcome distraction as he grappled for it on the night stand. But as he stared at it blearily, he couldn't even read the name clearly so he fumbled with the green icon to answer the call and pressed the device against his ear. "Hello?" he mumbled.

"You done being mad yet?" Roxas asked on the other end of the line.

"Roxas?" the silverette murmured.

"Yeah? Who'd you think it was?"

"I dunno."

"Okaaaaaay? So anyway, are you mad?"

"Why are you asking _me_?"

"Huh???"

"Shouldn't you be the one who's mad at me?"

"Why? What'd you do?"

"You know what I did!" Riku practically sobbed as he suddenly felt really guilty. "I'm so sorry!"

"What?! Riku, are you okay!? Is Sora there with you?"

Riku was still babbling his third or fourth apology by the time Sora came back upstairs with a spinach omelet, toast, and a glass of orange juice on a tray. When the brunette saw him pleading for forgiveness into the phone, he immediately became concerned and hurried over to snatch the phone from him with one hand while balancing the tray on the other.

"No, give it back! I need to tell him!" Riku cried out as he weakly reached his hand up for the phone.

"No! Enough talking! It's breakfast time now!" Sora commanded as he set the tray down in front of Riku which quickly distracted the hungry teen long enough for Sora to see who was calling Riku. "Hello?"

"Sora! It's me! What the hell is wrong with Riku!?"

"He's sick!" Sora explained.

"No, I'm not!" Riku protested around a mouthful of food.

"Chew your food before you talk!" the brunette scolded, earning a laugh from Roxas on phone.

"When did he get sick?? He sounded delirious!"

"Hard to say. Riku NEVER gets sick but this morning he felt like he was on fire!"

"Jeez, so I guess it wouldn't be right to tease him for at least a little while. It's no fun otherwise. But anyway, Vani told us what happened last night. You guys okay?"

"I think so. We managed to talk it out last night before we went to bed but since he's been feverish all morning we haven't really talked about it. Is Vanitas okay?"

"He wouldn't say it out loud, but I think it's safe to say your boyfriend scared him half to death!"

"He scared me, too!" Sora chuckled.

"Who scared you?" Riku asked with a mouthful of omelet.

"Nothing, you just focus on eating," the brunette assured the sick silverette before turning his attention back to Roxas. "Anyway, apologize to Vanitas for me, will ya? I need to take care of Riku."

"Rodger. Just make sure you don't get sick too!"

"Haha, I'll do my best. Later!"

"Later!"

After Sora hung up, he set Riku's phone back on the night stand and started going through the shopping bags once again to look for the cold medicine he promised Riku who by now had finished his breakfast. "Ready for your medicine?" he asked the elder teen.

"No," Riku said simply as he set the plate on the table and dived under the blankets in a flash.

"What? Are you going to make me force-feed you?" Sora snerked.

Riku eyes cautiously peered over the blankets at Sora before covering his head again. "I'm not taking anything!"

"You won't feel better if you don't!"

"I told you, I'm not sick! I'm not some little kid that gets colds!" the elder teen insisted from beneath the blankets.

"You're being a child!" Sora half-scolded, half-laughed.

"Your face is a child!" came Riku's muffled retort.

"Okay, that's enough!" the brunette rolled his eyes as he popped one of the cold pills out of the foil packaging. "Just remember, you forced me to do this!" he warned before hopping onto Riku's bed to straddle the lump hiding beneath the blankets. Once he mounted the approximate area of Riku's waist, he forcefully tugged down the comforter to reveal the elder teen's face who continued to weakly try clutching at the blanket to no avail.

"I said no--" he attempted to protest, but Sora was click to pop the pill inside his mouth and covered it with his hand before he could attempt to spit it out.

The teen growled at Sora angrily while refusing to swallow the forced pill but Sora was on it, quickly grabbing the glass of neglected orange juice on the bedtime table and taking a quick swig before replacing his hand on Riku's lips with his mouth and forcing the liquid inside.

"MMPH!" the teen groaned before finally letting out a smothered gulp as Sora forced him to drink, swallowing the cold pill in the process. Following the orange juice came the brunette's tongue to check that he swallowed the pill before releasing him at long last. "You...you didn't have to do that!" Riku sputtered.

Sora gave him a naughty wink before kissing the tip of his nose. "If you don't want me to do it again, make sure you behave and take another one in six hours, 'kay?"

Riku's face flushed even redder than before. "You're going to kill me," he muttered before grabbing the blankets again and pulling them up to his face once more, just in case Sora decided to do anything else.

"You're so cute, Riku~" Sora cooed as he reached a hand up to check his temperature once more. "The compress is already warm! I'll get you another one!"

"Wanna go back to sleep..." Riku mumbled as Sora peeled off the used compress and applied another one.

"You can go back to sleep," the brunette smiled. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Riku reached a hand out from under the blankets to snatch Sora's wrist. "Sleep with me," the sick teen demanded with a dead-eyed stare.

"But I'm not tired, Riku! You're one who needs rest!" Sora laughed.

"Stay!" Riku pouted while tugging Sora closer with strength that he certainly didn't display before.

"Okay, okay!" the brunette chuckled as he kicked off his slippers. "But you're like a furnace. I'll have to strip down."

Riku nodded almost a little too enthusiastically for his throbbing head to take. "Mm-hm, mm-hm."

With another small laugh, Sora stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers before crawling under the covers beside Riku who immediately clung to him with all four limbs. "You better not get me sick~"

The silverette didn't seem to be listening as he buried his face into Sora's neck and began nibbling on the soft skin there just above the warm metal chain around the smaller teen's neck. "Mine. Mine."

"Rikuuuuuuuuu~" the trapped teen whimpered. "I thought you said you wanted to sleep?"

"So much to do..." Riku murmured.

"Hm?" Sora hummed as he brushed a hand through Riku's hair in an effort to soothe him further so he'd actually fall asleep.

"Treehouse...so much..."

"Huh? You're worried about that NOW?" the smaller teen asked quietly while his hand traveled further down to rub soothing circles into his back, earning a content sigh from the other teen.

"Want a home...for us..." Riku continued to babble quietly against Sora's neck. His words were soft and quiet; lips barely fluttering against the sensitive skin there.

Sora felt his heart flutter and his stomach do backflips as he resisted the urge to kiss Riku again. It wouldn't be right to ravage him when he's in this condition...but still...He looked down at Riku's flushed face, his eyes half-lidded, his voice weak, and overall just so...vulnerable...It was almost too much for his heart to take! "I'll help you, Riku. You don't have to do it all alone," he reassured him as he continued to gently rub his back. "For now, you rest. I'm not letting you leave until you're better."

"When did you get s-sh-so...pushy?" the ill teen struggled to ask around a long yawn.

"Just let me take care of you and I won't have to be pushy," Sora snickered as he tilted his head down to press a kiss to Riku's temple.

"I'm gonna be fiiiiiiiiiiine," Riku whined as he nibbled on Sora, seemingly out of frustration.

Sora took the needy nibbles with a laugh, but it was starting to hurt a little bit. "Hey! Easy! I know you will be. Just put up with me for now, okay? Do it for me?"

Riku eased off on his nibbling and moved down to nuzzle into Sora's chest instead. "Fine, I guess," he muttered with a pout as his eyes fluttered closed. "But you'll have to stay with me."

"I will. I promise," Sora chuckled as he held him close and listened to the other's breathing even out as he fell asleep. "Sleep tight, Riku," he whispered before closing his eyes too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to give a birthday shout out! Happy Birthday, Nini! <3


	41. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku's not a good patient.

When Riku next awoke, he wondered if he had dreamed everything up. He was alone in his bed and the sun was shining brightly through the curtains. But then he heard what sounded like a clatter in the kitchen downstairs. It wasn't a loud noise, per se, but it was enough that the thrumming in his head set off again. With a frown he put a hand to his forehead and felt the smooth plastic of the warmed gel compress there. Its presence startled him for a moment as it squished beneath his prodding fingers as it became more and more apparent that he wasn't dreaming after all. With a sigh, he peeled the now useless compress off of his face and set it on the nightstand where he realized Sora had left him a bottle of water. Beside it was even a note with a terrible doodle that said he was downstairs checking on the soup.

"He made soup too?" he wondered aloud, smiling as he twisted the cap off the water bottle and greedily chugged its contents. He didn't realize how thirsty he was! The cool liquid really hit the spot but it also made him realize how hungry he was, even more so now that he can smell what Sora was cooking downstairs. He wanted to get out of bed, to go downstairs and hug him and say thank you, but his limbs felt heavy and his head was starting to spin even just from sitting up for a few moments. So instead he groaned and laid back down, sliding back beneath the covers. He realized then he felt dizzy and closed his eyes to try and focus on something else.

 _When was the last time I even caught a cold?_ He could recall on more than one occasion where he'd gotten sick and Sora insisted on coming over to keep him company when he should've been resting. He'd crawl into bed with him, arms filled with toys and games and sweets that he took from his cabinet at home and just spill them all over the bed. Even so, he had fun watching Sora play his video game and he'd fall asleep listening to him make up stories for the toys he had brought with him. He'd enact stories of knights taking down lions and princesses being held captive by dragons. He'd never be afraid of catching Riku's cold, either, and he never did...or at least...he didn't think he did.

His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember. Sora would usually catch a cold around the same time...if not first. "Wait...was HE the one giving me colds the entire time?" he wondered out loud.

Riku's thoughts were interrupted when Sora suddenly came bounding up the stairs. "How you feeling, handsome?" he asked cheerfully as he leaned over the bed-ridden teen.

Riku narrowed his eyes at the brunette, "I blame you."

Sora's eyebrows raised with confusion as he put his fists on his hips suspiciously. "Are you still feverish?" he asked.

"Heh," Riku smirked before grabbing Sora's left wrist and pulling him into the bed over top of himself, much to the younger teen's surprise!

"Wait, Riku! I need to--"

"It can wait," Riku murmured as he cupped Sora's face gently in his hands.

"Riku..."

 _He's so soft..._ Riku trailed his fingers down Sora's face and gently brushed away the stray chestnut hairs stuck to his cheek with his thumbs, reveling in how he could feel his cheeks warm up beneath his hands as Sora blushed cutely. Amused, the brunette smiled at him fondly and pressed a kiss to Riku's forehead to feel his temperature. Riku shuddered as somehow Sora's lips felt cool against his skin. "Sora..." he whimpered.

"Yup, definitely still have a fever," Sora confirmed while reaching over for the box of cold compresses to prepare another one for Riku. "Guess you're still going to be my patient for a little longer~"

"What, now we're playing doctor?" Riku snorted.

"Yup! And I'm prescribing 50 CCs of love and kisses, STAT!" Sora snickered.

"What does that even mean?" the silverette laughed.

"I think you know!" Sora grinned toothily as he brushed Riku's bangs back carefully before sticking another cold compress to his head. He then leaned in to kiss both his cheeks and the tip of his nose. "Are you getting hungry? It'll be lunch time soon."

"Already?" Riku murmured tiredly. "I guess I could eat."

"Well don't push yourself if you're not hungry yet. How are you feeling otherwise? Do you want some more cold medicine?"

 _He's so cute when he's worried._ Riku gazed fondly at the concerned brunette hovering over him, straddling his hips with the barest amount of weight resting on him as possible just to avoid giving him any discomfort even though Riku forced him up there in the first place. "I'm so lucky..." he whispered.

"Huh?" Sora tilted his head and waved his hand in front of Riku's face. "Earth to Riku?"

"You're cute," Riku grinned.

Sora let out an exasperated sigh, "I'm getting you some medicine."

"No!" Riku grumbled, reaching to yank the sheet up over his head again but Sora's knees already had the sheet pinned down, so there wasn't enough slack to pull it up. A fatal miscalculation on his part!

"Ah ah ah~" Sora chided playfully as he kept his knees where they were and reached his upper body over to grab at the grocery bag next to the bed with impressive flexibility. As he grabbed it, though, he felt Riku grasp his hips and he wondered for a brief moment if Riku was going to throw him off in an attempt to avoid taking medication but instead Riku held him so he wouldn't fall.

Even when Sora straightened up again with a water bottle and packet of medication in hand, Riku didn't remove his hands from Sora's waist. Instead he traced his fingers over Sora's hip bones that he could see peeking out from under his t-shirt that had ridden up when he leaned over. The brunette almost immediately began to squirm as he felt tickled by Riku's lingering touches. As fun as it would be to tickle him now, he had his sights set somewhere else, his fingers sneaking further underneath his shirt as they made their way around Sora's lower back where he traced the three star-shaped scars there. Immediately, he felt Sora shudder, the teen stiffening up as he let out a gasp.

"R-Riku! You are NOT distracting me! You need to take your--AAH!" the young keyblade master let out another cry as Riku's hands traveled further up, tracing lines to the scars he has long since memorized.

"Make me~" Riku dared the other as he gently raked his nails back down to Sora's lower back which made the smaller teen tremble almost violently. But as he came back down to Sora's waistband, the teen suddenly dropped everything and gripped both of Riku's wrists, wrenching them away from himself and pushing upwards to pin both wrists above Riku's head. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself!" Sora huffed. "Do I need to tie you up?"

"Do you think you even can?" Riku smirked but then he noticed something on the side of Sora's neck. "Wait a minute, where'd you get that?"

"Get what?" Sora blinked.

"You have a hicky on your neck!"

"YOU gave it to me, you dummy!" Sora rolled his eyes and let Riku's wrists go. "You did this morning, remember?"

"No..." Riku looked to the side guiltily. _But of course I gave it to him. Who else would have? Why am I even questioning..._ With a groan he put his hands over his face. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," Sora assured him softly as he unwrapped another cold pill from its packaging. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Though his eyes were covered, Riku could clearly hear Sora fidgeting with the packaging and gentle cracking of plastic as he opened the top off of a water bottle. "It's just...I worry, you know. All the time."

"Worry? About me?"

Riku swallowed hard around the lump he could feel growing in his throat. "Yes," he confessed. "I love you so much and I worry...to be honest I don't even know what I'm worried about. There's just this feeling that won't go away. I'm sorry, I know I sound like such an idiot."

"Riku..." Sora spoke his name softly as he gently tried pulling Riku's hands away from his face. "I worry too. So then we must both be idiots," he grinned cheekily. "But I also know that no matter what happens, we'll always have each other and we have our friends. We can take on anything. So...I try not to let it get to me too much. And if it does get overwhelming, I know I have you...and you know you have me, right?"

Riku nodded and smiled as Sora intertwined their fingers, "Of course."

"Good...now take your medicine or I'll force you to take it again!" Sora warned through grit teeth as he gave Riku a scary smile.

"Okay, okay! You're one scary doctor!"

"RAWR!" Sora roared playfully as he lunged forward and made omnom noises on Riku's neck.

"Spare me Dino Doctor!" Riku laughed as he took the pill and water and playfully shoved Sora back so he can take the medicine properly. "Ugh, it's so dry! You couldn't have bought gel caps?"

"That's all they had at the store, your highness!" Sora huffed, crossing his arms as he watched Riku chug the last of the water down quickly. "Do you need some more water?"

Riku shook his head and set the empty bottle aside before flopping back down onto the bed. "No, but I think I am hungry now, though."

Sora's beamed happily. "Then I'll bring you up some soup! You wait here."

Riku caught sight of the hicky on Sora's neck again as he turned away, its presence making his stomach do a backflip. He felt his ears burning with an emotion he couldn't quite place, but it also made him think. "Sora, wait!" the silverette grabbed Sora's wrist just before he hopped off the bed. "I just realized something..."

The brunette tilted his head curiously. "What's that?"

"Have I ever asked you on a date before?"

"Uh..."

 _I knew it...I haven't._ "Well I am now. Do you want to go on a date with me?"

"Where did this come from all of a sudden?" Sora laughed as he gently pried Riku's fingers off his wrist. "But sure, I'd love to go on a date with you...AFTER YOU GET BETTER! Now let me feed you!"

Riku flopped back against the pillows obediently. "Okay," he smiled.

After the two enjoyed Sora's homemade chicken soup, they cuddled up together once more. As Sora sat up against the headboard, Riku had his arms wrapped around his waist and his head resting in his lap while Sora idly brushed his fingers through his hair. As warm and happy as he was, he could feel his fever going down at long last. The pounding in his head has since been replaced with happy fuzzy feelings that resonated all the way down to his toes. For a while they were talking about the next blitzball practice and then what they were going to do for their date, until eventually they drifted into a comfortable silence. But then Sora started humming a familiar tune as his fingers trailed down the nape of Riku's neck and gently rubbed him between his shoulder blades, earning a happy mewl from the older teen as he nuzzled his face into Sora's thighs. Further encouraged, Sora continued to rub Riku's shoulders and back until he felt all of his stiff muscles relax. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly in case Riku was beginning to fall asleep.

"So much better," Riku murmured. "Thank you for today."

"If you're not feeling better tomorrow, you should stay home. I'll bring your homework and stuff for you if you want," Sora offered.

"Nnnn...you should just stay here with me."

"No, then I would fall behind, too!" Sora laughed. "Plus, that might be suspicious to anybody with more than two brain cells to rub together."

"No, it wouldn't," Riku argued. "We've always gotten sick at the same time. And if we weren't, we were taking turns."

"Yeah, mostly taking turns. I think we've only ever gotten sick at the same time ONCE and that was when the flu went around in second grade. Do you remember that?"

Riku chuckled quietly, "Yeah, I remember. Nearly everybody was sick in our classes for a week. Our parents took turns watching the both of us."

"Like a tag team!" Sora snickered. "Though I don't remember you giving either our parents such a hard time when you had to take your medicine."

"No, only you. I doubt your credentials," Riku said simply as he let out a loud yawn.

"Very funny," the brunette chuckled as he gently brushed the hair out of Riku's face.

Riku sighed at the soft contact, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Riku," Sora said in a voice barely above a whisper. "But if you get me sick too, you're buying _all_ the food on our date."

The elder teen snickered quietly as he felt himself falling asleep. "I make no promises."


	42. True Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku needs glasses!

With the winter months turning the island cooler, the students at DI High were instructed to switch to their winter uniforms. That meant they all were required to wear their beige knit cardigans over their usual attire and that was really about it. Sora hadn't even taken his out of the box when his mom ordered it for him so when it finally came time to try it on, he was a little dismayed to see it was clearly one size too big for him, the sleeves halfway covering his hands even when he tried to bunch it up at the wrists. It was a little baggy everywhere else, too. But at least it wasn't falling off his shoulders, so it will do. Besides, it wasn't like the winter was going to last very long anyway. It never does.

At the very least, it was cozy and he learned to appreciate it as the winds in the early mornings were especially brutal. By the time Sora knocked on Riku's door, his nose and ears were already a little red from the biting chill. "Knock-knock!" he greeted when Riku opened the front door, also dressed in his winter attire. However his actually fit him for the most part. One might say Riku's might've been a little tight in the bicep area, but Sora thought it was perfect. "Morning, handsome!"

"Morning, beautiful," Riku greeted. "Or should I say cutie?" he grinned as he leaned his head down to kiss Sora on the forehead. He could see right away that Sora's cardigan was too big and he thought it was the cutest thing, especially when his fingers were barely peeking out from beneath the cuffs.

Sora blushed at the good morning kiss appreciatively. He loved greeting Riku this early in the morning, especially when his eyes looked at him this fondly while bright blue like they are now. Plus they got to hold hands even longer AND they now felt brave enough to sneak kisses at the door before they left. Next to actually waking up beside Riku, it was the second best way to start the day! "Ready to go?" he asked, offering his hand.

"Yup!" Riku accepted the offered hand as soon as he locked the door behind him. But once the wind started picking up again, he slipped his and Sora's hands into his cardigan pocket to keep both their hands warm as they walked, which made Sora hum happily. When they met up with Kairi, she also looked cute, however she had to wear dark wool thigh-high socks in order to keep her legs from freezing, leaving a bare couple of inches of skin underneath her skirt that gave her ten extra cute points.

In homeroom, Riku did his best to stifle a yawn while he unpacked his bag and got settled into his desk. He thought maybe now would be a good time to review the chapter he was supposed to read the other day. But once he tried to get started, he stared at the words with dismay as they started looking fuzzy again. He let out a small sigh of frustration as he concentrated and held the book closer to himself, practically WILLING the words to unblur so he can read them properly. This has started to happen a lot recently. Maybe it's because he's been so tired lately or maybe his eyesight actually is getting worse, but he's noticed that it's even starting to affecting his schoolwork. He's already missed a couple of questions already on a few tests simply because he misread something and forcing his eyes to focus was giving him headaches.

As he tried to focus on his book, he could hear some of the other students chattering away at each other's desks. Sometimes the other students would strike up conversation with him, especially if they see Wakka chatting with him first. On more than one occasion he'd find his desk suddenly surrounded by female students, sometimes girls that weren't even in his class! This morning, however, they all seemed to be chatting in the far side of the room. He didn't really pay them any mind, until he heard his name, that is.

"Doesn't Riku have the prettiest eyes?"

"Oh, I know! Especially in the mornings! I swear they change colors on the edges!"

"Omigosh, I've seen it, too! Once, I saw the edges turn PINK!"

"What? No way!"

"I saw them turn dark green once, too!"

"What color are they normally? I can't see from here!"

"Like...aqua green...I think?"

"Didn't they used to be bright blue when we were kids?"

"Do you think he wears contacts?"

"Oooh! I wonder if they're color-changing ones!"

Riku stared hard into his book and this time it wasn't because the words were out of focus. _What color are my eyes now, I wonder?_ His brow furrowed in thought, now feeling self-conscious. He had already figured out that his eyes change color. Sora told him as much. But for a while he thought it was something only Sora could see and so far it's only been at night or whenever he was half-asleep or just really riled up. He had noticed his eyes looking brighter in the mornings when he's barely awake, such as when he's brushing his teeth while getting ready for school. So maybe him being tired at school has allowed his classmates to notice his dream eater colors too? Furthermore... _My normal eye color has changed? When did that happen?_

"Riku-senpai!"

"Hm?" Riku looked up from his book to see a freshman standing next to his desk.

"The student counselor sent me to get you," he explained.

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

He followed the young teen out of the room, walking past the girls who were talking about him while trying to avoid eye contact with them. However, he could feel their stares even without looking and heard them erupt into giggles as he slid the door closed behind him.

"Are you popular with the girls, senpai?" the boy asked.

"Beats me," Riku gave a half-hearted laugh. "Does it matter?"

"I think it does to some!" the younger student also laughed as he led the way to the office. "Well, I gotta get back to class. See you!"

"See you," Riku gave an awkward wave before knocking on the door and letting himself into the counselor's office. "Pardon me."

. . .

"THEY ACCUSED YOU OF WHAT!?!" Kairi exclaimed at lunch.

Against Riku's best judgement, Sora insisted on having lunch on the rooftop today for some reason. Thinking on it now, it was probably for the best because no other students were up there to see Riku scowling. In fact, not even Sora was up there yet, so Riku ranted to Kairi first. The counselor recommended Riku get his eyes checked, which was fair. But then almost immediately after the suggestion was made, the teacher had the audacity to say that Riku must've ruined his own eyes by wearing costume contact lenses all the time. Riku insisted that he didn't wear contacts and even told the pompous teacher it'd be obvious if he took two seconds to look closely enough but then the teacher insisted it wasn't his job to inspect his eyes every day. "I'm tempted to ACTUALLY get colored contacts so I won't have to deal with this anymore. Apparently the girls have been staring at me!"

Kairi giggled, "Riku, they're going to stare at you anyway. They're shameless."

Riku rolled his eyes, "Well this feels a little more personal. Have _you_ noticed them?"

"The color of your eyes? Just the edges. I thought it was a trick of the sun. But...they do look like they've changed ever since we started preparing for...well...you know. Then again, Sora's have changed, too," she said thoughtfully. "They haven't changed colors like yours, but...I dunno. They look more mature, I guess? Or at least you can tell by looking at them that he's seen things that others haven't. Especially after he shish-kabobbed Bob."

"I see..." He bit his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing at the crude imagery that Kairi had provided him. Nope. Can't unsee it now.

"So why do they change color anyway?" Kairi asked with a grin. "You haven't told me!"

"And I'm not ever going to!" Riku smirked.

"What!? Why?? Riku, that's so mean!" the redhead pouted.

Riku's expression softened, "Maybe one day I will. Just not now. Like I said...it's kind of personal."

"Fiiiiiine, I'll let it go just this once," Kairi winked. "So you going to see the eye doctor?"

"Yeah, I'll do it after school. Think you can keep Sora company for me?"

"Definitely. Oooh, you know what would be funny?" she smiled mischievously.

"Hm?"

"What if you got colored lenses like you said and don't tell Sora?"

"Why would I do that? Of all people, he should be the first to notice, I would think."

"Truuuuuue, but aren't you kind of curious to see?"

Riku couldn't help snickering, "Actually, I kind of am. But this could backfire very badly."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Kairi laughed.

. . .

The next morning, Sora cheerfully knocked on Riku's door to walk with him to school as usual. This time he brought along an extra cookie for Riku's lunch. He had one for Kairi, too. But he specifically made Riku's heart-shaped. "Knock knock!" he called as he rapped on the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he hid the cookie behind his back. He heard Riku's footsteps approaching and straightened up excitedly as the door opened. "Good morning! I made something for you, my pretty prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr--Wait." He peered up suspiciously at the older teen. Something wasn't right.

"Uh, good morning to you too," Riku chuckled. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just...ahem. Anyway, I made you a cookie!" Sora gleamed as he presented him the cookie carefully wrapped in plastic cellophane. 

"Aw, thank you," the teen smiled happily as he accepted the treat and leaned down to give him a quick kiss. "I still need to finish making lunch since you're early. Want to come in while I finish?"

"Sure!" the brunette blushed happily at the chaste kiss but as he looked up at Riku again, something still didn't seem right. _His eyes...they're green. A soft green...but they're usually blue when I see him during this time of the day. Maybe...maybe he's been awake longer than usual._ After he followed him inside, he watched Riku scramble around the kitchen for a little bit before finally asking, "Did you wake up early this morning, Riku?"

Riku stiffened. "Actually, I did. Just had to get something else done." Truth be told, he woke up early so he could take the time to put in the contacts he got before Sora got there. He wasn't exactly used to the idea of putting things in his eyeballs, after all. Even so, despite all the trouble, he was already seeing fantastic results, pun not intended. He thought he could see just fine before but now everything had a certain clarity to it. Even Sora...he didn't think it was possible but even Sora looked cuter than before. Even from where he was standing in the kitchen he was seeing things he hadn't noticed before, like the tiny wisps of hair on the back of his neck that curled slightly instead of spiking like the rest of his hair, or even his pretty eyelashes. He even had a freckle on his right cheek! And his face! The lines of his face were more...pronounced? He could now see very clearly that Sora had long since lost some of the baby fat in his cheeks. Suddenly he noticed Sora was staring at him, STUDYING him. To be fair he was studying him back but why was Sora staring? Surely he hadn't noticed already?

There was an awkward pause and the two made eye contact at long last before laughing it off and Riku went back to packing his lunch. While Riku busied himself with his sandwich-making, Sora agonized over Riku's eye color. They just looked different! _Was it something I did? They didn't even do anything when he saw the cookie! Is he still mad about Vanitas? Should I even bring it up? We really haven't even talked about it since then. Should I ask about it later? Now's definitely not a good time._ Still, even though he was suspicious, there was a steady stream of warm affection coming through the connection but there's a strange tension as well that he couldn't place.

When they picked up Kairi, Sora snuck a whisper into her ear, "Do Riku's eyes look off to you?"

Kairi's eyebrows immediately went up. For the sake of the act she did sneak a look at Riku before answering Sora, "They're a little puffy."

Sora gasped! "Riku, have you been crying?"

"What!? No!" Riku insisted. "Are you two talking about me?" he asked, reaching an arm around Sora's neck so he could rub his knuckles into the other's skull.

"AGH!! RIKU! STOP!" Sora begged while Kairi laughed at his expense.

Riku let him go and neither pursued the subject any further. Riku was glad for it, too. Honestly the reason his eyes were puffy is because he had so much trouble putting them in that he poked himself in the eyes a couple of times. He even had to hold his eyelids open while he tried it. He has glasses too but he wanted to try out the lenses first. Besides he also felt slightly embarrassed that he needed them to see at all. According to the optometrist he had a stigmatism in his eye and far-sightedness or something. So one eye was constantly working to keep things in focus which is why he was getting headaches and now that he's tired his good eye can't really keep up. In short he was told he could get away with wearing reading glasses if he needed to. This was a bit of a relief because he wondered if it was even safe to wear contacts or glasses while on the battlefield, for instance. The news that he could still get away without using them outside of doing schoolwork was welcome indeed.

"Oh by the way, I made lunch plans with Selphie, so it'll just be you two," Kairi informed them.

"Okay! How about the roof, Riku?" Sora asked.

"Again? Fine by me, I guess," Riku shrugged.

. . .

Come lunch time, the two were again the only students on the roof top due to the breezy winds. But this time they were prepared and sat behind the roof opening building which was a perfect wind block. Behind which was only a few feet from the roof ledge that was further obstructed by chain link fencing. So they were pretty hidden from everybody if they sat against the wall of the small building. While they chatted, Sora kept glancing up to Riku's eyes. Something still didn't sit right with him.

Riku was more than aware of Sora staring intently at him. It was actually kind of funny watching the gears turn in Sora's head but he wasn't going to tell him just yet. "What are you thinking?"

"Just...that it's a little cold up here," Sora answered. "And that you should warm me up."

"Why is that _my_ responsibility? You were the one who wanted to have lunch up here, remember?"

"So you _don't_ want to warm me up?" the younger teen asked coyly.

 _What is his angle?_ "I didn't say that," Riku gave in and wrapped an arm around Sora to pull him into his lap. Here they were safe and would be able to hear anybody coming up, so he had no qualms about wrapping his arms around the brunette's body and holding him close.

Sora gave a cheesy grin as he cuddled close to Riku and fingered one of the buttons shyly on his cardigan before tilting his face up towards Riku's suggestively. Riku stared down at him for a long moment before he took the bait and leaned to meet Sora halfway to press their lips together. Sora could tell Riku meant for it to be a quick kiss, but he wasn't about to let him pull away just yet as he quickly moved a hand to cup the back of Riku's head to keep him still as he deepened the kiss. He inwardly grinned as he felt Riku resist for only a brief moment before giving in and Sora seized the opportunity to slip his tongue inside his mouth greedily, earning a quiet moan from the elder teen as he fought back with his own tongue.

The two competed until Riku broke for breath, "What's gotten into you?"

Sora peered into his eyes, disappointed that there wasn't even a trace of color change to be seen. "What? I can't make out with my boyfriend?" he asked quietly so only Riku could hear, not that there was any risk. After all, the wind was pretty good at drowning out any noises the two were making to begin with.

"We've NEVER kissed at school before," the silverette frowned. "Where did this come from all of a sudden?" He had a suspicion, but he didn't think Sora would really be so bold as to provoke him while they were still at school.

"Are you upset with me?" the brunette asked, avoiding Riku's gaze as his lower lip trembled. He was afraid of the answer, but he tried to make it look like his teeth were just chattering from the cold.

Riku was stunned by the question. _Well that took a turn!_ "No, not at all," he assured him as he laid several soft kisses along Sora's jawline. This little prank doesn't seem to be working out. From what he could tell, it seems to be making Sora sad. "But maybe we should talk later," he added. "After school."

Sora swallowed hard and nodded, slightly relieved but also now with a heavy feeling in his gut. Desperate for a change of subject, he looked back to the remains of his lunch and realized he hadn't eaten his cookie yet, which he grabbed and unwrapped. "Want to share my cookie? I noticed you didn't bring yours."

"Yeah, I wanted to save it to eat during break time later," Riku smiled.

Sora's face brightened, "Really? During class? Aren't you..."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Aren't I what?"

The brunette's cheeks began to turn pink, "You know...aren't you embarrassed that it's in the shape of a heart?"

The older teen blinked, "No? Why would I care what anybody else thinks?" He didn't know what the big deal was, but the answer made Sora's eyes sparkle.

Sora happily broke off a piece of his cookie and offered to feed it to Riku, "I love you."

"Love you, too," Riku grinned before accepting the cookie being fed to him.

. . .

Back at Riku's place, the elder keyblade master finally told Sora about his contact lenses and even removed one to show him.

"Wow! You actually have to touch your eye!?" Sora watched with morbid fascination. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"It hurts if I don't do it right, but I guess you're supposed to get used to it," Riku shrugged.

"Why did you get colored ones?" Sora asked as he looked down at the green lens on Riku's fingertip. "Aren't disposable ones more comfortable?"

"I guess it's because everybody else was noticing my eye color changing and...I don't know..."

Sora gazed at him softly, "Were you trying to lie again?"

"No! No, that's not it," Riku insisted as he uncapped the container for his contacts and put them away. "I guess, maybe I only want you looking at me _that way_ ," he tried to explain as he looked back at Sora, his eyes now bright blue again.

"Riku..." Sora smiled fondly.

"Heh," the silverette felt himself blushing and fumbled with his glasses case to put on his reading glasses for his homework. They were simple black wire square frames. Once he put them on, he could see Sora's eyes sparkling again and reached for his hand.

Sora reached for it and gave it a squeeze. "You can't wear those glasses to school."

Riku blinked in confusion, "Why not?"

"You look too hot!" Sora whined before he lunged forward to tightly squeeze him. "Somebody will try to steal you away!"

Riku laughed as he fell onto his back and squeezed the other tightly. "You don't have to worry about that."


	43. Finding One's Own Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanitas decides to move forward.

Vanitas was visibly anxious this time about meeting up with Sora. He had just texted the other teen and was informed that Riku insisted on coming along.

"Want me to come with you?" Roxas asked as he watched Vanitas pull on a dark hoody. "I can try to keep him calm while you do your thing," he offered.

Vanitas gave a small smile, an expression he was starting to get used to. "Sure! That way if he goes nuts again, I can use you as bait while I run away," he smirked as he summoned a darkness corridor.

Roxas couldn't help snerking, "Come on, he won't bite. Probably."

. . .

"You should probably wait outside the cave," Sora told Riku as they sat on the beach together while awaiting Vanitas's arrival. "I don't want you to see what happens," he said quietly as he leaned to nuzzle Riku's shoulder.

"Okay," Riku conceded as he wrapped an arm around Sora's shoulders. Both were dressed in sweats and their matching hoodies to brace against the cold sea breeze. "How long does it usually take?"

"Not too long," Sora assured him. "Ten minutes, maybe? And then we usually talk afterwards."

"I see," the older teen pressed a kiss to Sora's temple. He didn't know what else to say besides "Don't get hurt" or "I'll be here" so instead he said, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Sora smiled.

As the two exchanged soft looks, neither noticed the dark portal that had opened up behind them.

"Do you guys need a minute?" Roxas asked as he stepped through the portal first, surprising both teens.

"Roxas!" Sora's face lit up as he hurried off the ground to run over and hug the blonde. "Why are you here?"

Roxas returned the hug. "What do you think?" he looked over at Riku who eyed Roxas suspiciously just as Vanitas came through the portal after him.

Riku's eyes immediately narrowed at Vanitas but he found he couldn't keep up the glare for too long. He looked so much like Sora if Sora had sharper features. He could tell he was much more muscular than Sora too, even with the baggy clothes he was wearing. His shoulders were broad and his forearms were very pronounced beneath his sleeves. He almost wondered why he even needed Sora in the first place, but then he saw his shaking hands tipped with black fingernails. His eyes even appeared slightly dull. Right away Vanitas caught him staring and shoved his hands into his front hoody pocket and Riku averted his gaze.

"How ya been, Vanitas?" Sora greeted.

"Fine, I guess. Can we just get this over with?" the raven-haired teen asked curtly.

"Uh, sure," Sora blinked as Vanitas went ahead and walked into the cave. Something didn't seem right but then again maybe he was just anxious about having Riku around. He quickly kissed Riku's cheek and squeezed his hand before hurrying after him with his lantern in hand.

Roxas looks at Riku whose eyes haven't left the entrance of the cave that Sora had disappeared into. "Hey, big guy."

Riku tears his eyes away from the cave to look at Roxas. The blonde is smiling sympathetically at him. _He looks so much like Sora with the way he smiles._ "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly before walking to the beach on the other side of the bridge.

Roxas was a little taken aback by the question. Riku looked genuinely hurt. Nevertheless, he followed after him and took a seat next to him on the beach. As the wind howled around them he could feel Riku shivering next to him and sat even closer. After a long silence, Roxas finally answered. "Sora's secrets aren't mine to tell."

Riku sighed and rested his elbows on his bent knees while he fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist. He felt bad. He knew Roxas didn't deserve to be accused of anything. But still...he couldn't bring himself to apologize. He had thought he and Roxas were getting close so he couldn't help feeling slightly betrayed by his silence on the matter. Even so, he knew Roxas was just being a good friend to Sora, so he couldn't fault him for that either. He decided to accept the warmth of Roxas's shoulder pressed against his as apology enough as the two sat in silence. They watched the water for a while as the waves rolled in until suddenly they heard Sora's cries coming from the cave behind them. Riku's fists clenched hard as he tried to keep himself composed but every scream carried on the wind sent a stabbing pain through his chest.

Sensing the other's distress, Roxas moved to kneel between Riku's knees and embraced the teen, cradling his head against his chest. "It's going to be okay."

Riku was stunned by the gesture, but found himself slipping his arms around Roxas all the same to hold him tightly with one ear pressed against his chest. As he settled into the teen's warmth, Roxas curled over him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders which further muffled any screams that Riku could still hear, as if he were sheltering Riku from the cold AND the noise. Despite the teen's efforts, he could still feel in his heart what was going on in that cave and couldn't keep his fingers from curling around Roxas's hoodie. "It hurts."

Roxas held the keyblade master tighter, the biting cold from the wind nothing compared to the chill he felt in his heart as there was nothing to muffle Sora's screams for him. "I know it does. But I'm here for you."

As he listened to Roxas's pounding heart, Riku realized something. "Can you...can you f--"

"Yes," Roxas interrupted. "I can feel Sora." The blonde felt his throat tighten at the confession. Of course Riku knew that he and the other former occupants of Sora's heart have been sensitive to Sora's feelings for a while, especially after what the Master of Masters did to Sora's heart. But now that they've all had time to heal, they've all become less sensitive, except maybe for Roxas. If Sora's in danger, they all know. But Roxas is still receptive to some of Sora's other feelings, such as his happiness...especially the happiness he feels around Riku. "I can still feel when he's hurt...but I can feel when he's happy, too."

Riku felt his face redden. "Does that mean...?"

"Yeah, but it's fine," Roxas assured him. "You just keep making him happy, okay?"

"Roxas..."

"Just remember what you promised me, okay?"

. . .

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!! STOP! PLEASE! BRING THEM BACK!!"

Vanitas held tightly onto Sora's shoulders as he kept the thrashing teen pinned down. He was torn between calming him and trying to dive into the deepest hurt contained within Sora's heart. _This darkness...it's too vast._

Suddenly Sora felt relief. As his cries calmed he felt something drip onto his face. _Is it water from the cave? No...it's too warm._ He forced his eyes open to see tears streaming down Vanitas's face. "Vanitas...?"

"I won't do this anymore," the raven-haired teen shook his head as if to throw the tears off his face. The pain he could now see...such darkness is too powerful. If he got it from Sora, yes, he'd be incredibly strong, but... _If Darkness got ahold of me, they wouldn't stand a chance._ "The cries of children over the monsters under their bed are one thing, but the anguish of unfathomable pain and despair from the loss of one's friends is another."

"I don't understand..." Sora choked. "Don't you need--"

"You've given me enough. I can sustain this form just fine now," Vanitas grunted as he carefully got off of Sora and took his hand to pull him off the floor. "The rest is up to me to find strength elsewhere."

"But why?" the brunette asked as he leaned back against the stone wall.

"I could get infinitely stronger from your pain, but if Darkness were to somehow carry out its plan and take control of me, none of you would stand a chance. That means it's up to you to keep your heart safe. And besides," he turned away to roughly wipe the tears from his face with his fist, as if the moisture offended him. "I've gotten used to their faces."

Sora blinked a couple of times before smiling warmly at the teen. "So you're going to stay with them a little longer?"

"Yeah, they're not so bad," he shrugged as he reached into his hoody and pulled out a wrapped sea salt ice cream bar and offered it to Sora. When Sora didn't accept right away, he quickly grew annoyed. "What? I've been working part time. Don't tell me you don't like ice cream?"

"N-no, that's not it!" Sora quickly accepted and Vanitas pulled out another from his pocket to eat too. Before Vanitas could get offended, he unwrapped the ice cream and bit into it. Even though it was pretty chilly outside, the ice cream did soothe his throat that felt raw from screaming. "Thank you."

"Just hurry up and eat it," Vanitas urged. "I didn't bring ice cream for the other two."

"Haha, cheers!" Sora grinned before finishing off the rest of his ice cream. "EEK! Brain freeze!" he winced.


	44. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku share their first date on the islands!

"Why are you looking at a travel brochure?"

"Hm?" Sora looked up from the magazine at Tidus. He and Riku had a date coming up and he wanted to be prepared so he found a travel magazine full of locales to read during break. "Why? Is that weird?"

"Uh, kinda. You've grown up here! Don't you know where everything is?" the blonde laughed. "Plus, you're looking at all the tourist traps."

Sora huffed and turned toward the window with a pout on his lips. "Well excuse me for being gone for two years. There could be new stuff that I don't know about. Plus, I was a kid who didn't have much interest in what was on the island. Things are different now. And besides," he turned back to face Tidus with a grin on his face. "It's winter, so the tourists aren't going to be there!"

"Yeah, but you got a magazine full of stuff ADULTS would enjoy!" Tidus pointed out. "You're not going to find anything in there but wineries and stuff. Just go to the pier."

Sora crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. He hated to admit it, but Tidus might have a point. Maybe he was overthinking this after all. Besides, Riku was the one who asked _him_ so it's really up to Riku to plan the date anyway, right?

"Is Sora-kun planning a date?" an overly cheery voice asked from behind Sora.

"Xindy? What are you doing here?" Tidus asked.

"Xindy?" Sora blinked and turned around only to nearly get a face full of boob as the well-endowed student was already bending down way too close. In a panic, Sora made a hard scoot towards the window with his chair, making the other student giggle as she tossed her long, wavy black hair back over her shoulder.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you~" she winked. "It's break time and I was bored. So am I right? Is Sora-kun planning a date?"

"Uh..."

She leaned in closer into his space and flipped through the open magazine on Sora's desk. "Who's the lucky girl?" she asked.

"N-no one," Sora insisted as he tried to scooch further away but the wall behind him would not yield.

"Oh, so you haven't asked them yet? That's so cute~" Xindy giggled. "Well, if you want my advice, you should take her somewhere expensive. Treat her like a princess."

Sora gulped as she leaned further in, her violet eyes seemingly studying every detail on his face. "A princess?"

"That's right~ You know how to do that, don't you?" she gleamed. "Maybe a fancy restaurant?"

"A fancy restaurant?" Tidus scoffed. "I don't think Riku would be into that!"

"Riku?" Xindy blinked.

"Err...I mean--!" Tidus backpedaled frantically.

Sora facepalmed and rubbed his brow furiously as he felt the redness growing in his face. "We're just hanging out," he explained through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I see!" she laughed. "So it's not a date after all, lucky me~"

"Huh?" Sora looked up.

"Nothing~" Suddenly the bell rang signaling break was over. "See you later, Sora-kun~" she winked before taking her leave.

Sora let out a relieved sigh and hurried to put away the travel brochure as he caught Kairi's smirking face looking at him. "Why didn't you say anything!?"

"What, did you need rescuing?" the redhead grinned.

"Thanks a lot, Kairi!" Sora huffed.

"Dude, she's going to eat you alive!" Tidus laughed.

"Why, though?" Sora asked. "I barely even know her!"

. . .

"So, Riku, we're dying to know. Are you seeing anybody?"

"What?" Riku looked up from his book to find himself surrounded by four of his female classmates. "Why do you ask?"

"Did you forget? Valentines Day is coming up really soon. It'll be here before you know it!"

His hands clenched around the book he was holding. He felt like he was being ambushed. "I didn't forget. But I thought dating wasn't allowed?"

"Well no, but everybody does it. You just have to make sure you don't get caught," one of them said quietly so the teacher couldn't hear, earning quiet giggles from the other three.

"So are you?"

"Am I what?" Riku asked, his eyebrow twitching with increasing irritation.

"Are you seeing anybody?"

"Does it matter?" he asked.

"Of course it does. If the answer is yes, there are going to be soooo many heartbroken girls," the tallest of the group laughed.

"Well we wouldn't want that, now would we?" he smirked. He meant for it to be sarcastic, but clearly it was too subtle as all their eyes lit up.

From behind him, Wakka let out a boisterous laugh. "I thought you were pursuing Kairi, ya?"

"I am?" Riku asked.

"No fair, Riku!" the girls all squealed though they didn't seem that upset. In fact, one of them looked like she was suddenly out for blood.

"Now wait just a minute--" he meant to protest, but the bell went off, signaling break time was over and everybody quickly rushed back to their desks, leaving Riku in a whirlwind of confusion. _What just happened?_

. . .

After school, the gang didn't have any homework, so they decided to work on the treehouse together. Kairi already had some items she wanted to contribute, so after a quick stop at her place, she rode on the back of Riku's motorcycle while Sora took the long way around and rode his keyblade glider over the ocean.

"This would be so much easier if you had a warp point," Kairi pointed out after they arrived.

"I know, but I haven't been able to find it yet. All I've found is the moogle shop," Riku explained.

Sora hadn't arrived yet, so Riku took Kairi up to the treehouse first since she hadn't seen it yet. By now, two of the rooms have been completed and he even managed to do simple wiring for each one so he could power the tools he's been using and of course have AC and lighting. As of right now, Riku had just finished building a lift so that supplies and stuff could be brought up much easier and he was pre-building more walls on the ground so they can be lifted up once he finished building more of the foundation boards he needed, which required putting holes into the mountainside that the tree leaned against for extra support as well as adding braces around the tree itself, which was definitely not a one person job.

"It's really coming along, Riku!" Kairi praised as she looked around. "You've worked so hard!"

"It's getting there," Riku smiled happily.

"But wow, the rest of that stuff you mentioned is going to be a lot of work. We should ask our friends to help! Afterwards we can throw a party and everything!"

"Wait, you really think they'd come all the way out here?"

"Definitely! It'll be fun!"

"Hey guys!" Sora shouted from outside, calling Riku and Kairi's attention to the window. "Look! I found the warp point!" the brunette declared proudly as he pointed to the glowing blue orb behind a set of bushes.

"Of course he did," Riku smiled fondly.

"Great job, Sora!" Kairi shouted. "Now come up here and help!"

Together the trio hung up the curtains that Kairi brought. While she painted the molding that Riku installed, the two worked on installing siding and added floorboards to the next area where Riku planned to expand the treehouse and give them a kitchen area. By the it started getting dark, they were using the lift to pull up the foundation walls that Riku had pre-built with the lift and set them aside for now. After they covered them up with a tarp to protect them from the elements for now, they decided to call it a day. "Thank you for your hard work, everyone."

For a job well done, Kairi brought them all some cold drinks. "Cheers!"

While the three enjoyed their drinks, they checked out the progress Kairi made inside the treehouse. Some of Riku's things were already brought up there so she hung up the shelves she had brought and arranged them nicely. It was actually starting to look like a home! Proudly displayed on one of the shelves was the snow globe Sora made Riku for Christmas and beside it was a scrapbook full of the drawings that used to be tacked on the walls before Riku started working on the treehouse. Beside it was the album Sora and Riku made when they came out to their parents. In fact, everywhere Riku looked he could see little things that reminded him of his time with Sora and his friends. It really was starting to feel like home. "It looks great, Kairi!"

"I'm glad you like it! Sorry I went ahead and put the shelves up, but the painting took less time than I thought and you had so much cute stuff!" the redhead gushed. "I can't wait until you guys build the bedroom!"

Sora instantly blushed, "The bedroom?"

"Yeah! Riku showed me the plans for it already. It looks like it's going to be really romantic!"

"You give me way too much credit, Kairi," Riku insisted, though his cheeks were reddening with appreciation all the same.

After they finished their drinks, Riku hurried to get Kairi home before it got dark and Sora went home on his own. Tomorrow evening he and Riku were finally going to have their date and he was already so excited he could barely sit still during dinner with his folks. Though he and Riku discussed a lot of ideas, he wasn't exactly sure what the older teen had planned so he had butterflies just thinking of all the different possibilities. But given that they agreed they should stay on the island, he didn't expect anything too grand, but that's not what mattered. What mattered was that he was going on a date with Riku. Just the two of them IN PUBLIC! Would they hold hands? Could they kiss? He recalled the first time they kissed in front of all their friends during his birthday party and instantly felt his cheeks burn. Even now they only dare to kiss outside if it's really early in the morning when the only witnesses that could possibly see are the birds twittering away their daybreak songs in the trees. By now they've probably shared hundreds if not nearly a thousand kisses but kissing in front of strangers? He was excited but also bashful but he also felt silly for feeling this way. Should they even dare? After all, even holding hands seemed like a pipe dream until they started doing it at the market.

By the time he crawled into bed, his thoughts were still buzzing and it took everything he had to finally clear his mind and get some sleep. After all, he didn't want to be too tired for their date!

Meanwhile, Riku wasn't faring much better. He had a plan, but would it be good enough? He and Sora have done so many spectacular things already, seen so many different sights, he didn't want their first date to be boring. Then again, maybe a normal first date would be the best thing for them. It was definitely something neither of them had experienced before. Sure, the double date in Thebes was pretty close to a normal first date, everything from nervously picking out clothes, to going to the theater, and having dinner, and then viewing the stars...it was magical. There's no way he could ever top that...maybe. But that's not the point, is it? It's not about topping what they've already done, it's about spending time with Sora and having fun. "It's going to be great," he smiled to himself as he finally allowed himself to drift to sleep.

During school the next day, it was a miracle that either teen managed to stay focused. Thankfully school ended in early afternoon on Saturdays. As usual, the group walked home, but Sora and Riku split up halfway with the promise that Riku would pick Sora up at seven. With a last squeeze of each other's hands, they parted and headed home to prepare.

After Sora showered, he spent a good portion of the late afternoon deciding what he wanted to wear. He's worn his super groupies outfit a lot already so he wanted something a little different. "I don't know how to dress myself!" he whined. After a while, he had it narrowed down to three outfits and hurried to post on Kingstagram and ran a poll. After about 20 minutes, one outfit won by a landslide and he quickly deleted the post before Riku would have a chance to see, if he hadn't already. "Here goes nothing!"

Riku was having trouble as well. In fact he was beginning to realize he just didn't have a lot of clothes to choose from and even fewer that still fit. With still a couple of hours before he was meant to pick up Sora, he hurried on his bike to the clothing stores to find something to wear. While he was shopping, one of the shopkeepers was even kind enough to help him pick something suitable for a first date in the somewhat casual setting he had planned. After he made his purchases he quickly went home to change. He ended up incorporating a little bit of his super groupies outfit with the new clothes he picked, landing on a knit grey turtleneck sweater, black blazer, black jeans, and boots. At first he wasn't sure how he felt about the turtleneck but he liked how soft it felt and he had a feeling Sora would like it too. To top it all off, of course he wore his bracelet but he dressed it up with a little silver chain bracelet on the same wrist as per the store owner's suggestion.

He knew he wanted to pick Sora up in style so he went to the garage to summon his keyblade vehicle in private when he noticed yellow flowers growing in the garden: winter aconite. With a smile, he squat down to admire the little buttercup-like flowers. He recalled in elementary school the girls going around and picking similar yellow flowers and holding them under their chins. If yellow appeared under your chin, it meant you were sweet and/or in love. The memory brought a smile to his face but it also made him wonder. Does one bring flowers for a first date? With a chuckle he plucked one and tucked it into the front pocket of his blazer. Couldn't hurt to bring one.

After he summoned his keyblade vehicle and locked up, he texted Sora he was on his way and sped off towards his place. He didn't care that he was kind of showing off on the otherwise sleepy streets that they grew up on. He wanted Sora to have the best. Plus, it would've been a long walk to their destination otherwise. After he parked his bike in front of Sora's residence, he checked for the flower in his coat pocket to make sure it didn't fly away during the drive. He had almost forgotten about it. He smiled when he saw it was still safe and was about to knock on the door when he heard Sora's mother on the other side.

"My baby boy's first date! I can't believe it, I'm so happy!" Riku heard her gush.

Riku flew a hand over his mouth as he tried to keep himself from laughing so they wouldn't be alerted to his presence just yet.

"Mom! Riku's going to be here any minute!" Sora whined as his mom continued to fuss.

"I can't help it! You look so handsome!"

Riku felt his heart give a little jump. No matter what Sora wore he'd look amazing, that he knew for sure, but now the anticipation was nearly killing him. But also...hearing Sora's mother's excitement made him really happy. He couldn't blame her for being emotional. After all there was probably a time where she thought she'd never be able to experience this. He certainly wondered himself if this was ever going to be a possibility. Even now, his knuckles barely inches away from the door he marveled that this was even real. He was really here, on the island he grew up on, about to go on his first official solo date with Sora.

Suddenly the door opened and Riku was face to face with Sora's dad, which startled him a little as his fist was still raised to knock on the door that was there a moment ago. Now a little embarrassed, he lowered his hand and stuffed both of his fists into his pockets in an effort to appear casual. "Er, good evening, sir."

The man chuckled and stepped aside to invite Riku in. Riku bowed his head politely as he entered. He's been in Sora's house thousands of times by now, but somehow this time felt different. He could hear Sora's mom still fussing over Sora in the other room and couldn't help the knowing smile from growing on his face but then Sora's dad immediately brought his attention back to him. "So you're going to bring my boy back home on time, right?"

Riku blinked, "On time, sir? What time would that be? I mean I'll do my best."

Sora's dad broke out into laughter and slapped Riku on the back of the shoulder playfully. "I'm kidding. It seems silly to give you boys a curfew after all. But in case you didn't know, local ordinances demand teenagers be in by 10 pm."

Riku nodded. "That won't be a problem." While it's true that he already heard about that, it was a good reminder. After all, the curfew was put in place sometime after he and Sora went missing. High school kids and younger weren't allowed out in the streets past 10 pm to prevent things like loitering and graffiti, or so they said. The only exceptions being if they were under adult supervision or if there were special events such as New Years. But Riku had a feeling it was also put in place because of them specifically. After all, the the three of them snuck out in the dead of night during the supposed storm that sent them out to sea. That being said, they've snuck out plenty of times anyway without being caught, but nobody has to know about that. After he graduates he won't have to worry about that anymore. Sora on the other hand..."I'll um...be sure we text you when we turn in for the night," Riku assured him.

"I'd appreciate that," Sora's dad chuckled. "So where you boys headed?"

"To the pier," Riku said simply. "I heard they're showing an outdoor movie tonight."

Sora's mom came out to the entryway next and her jaw practically dropped when she saw Riku before she proceeded to gush over him too. "Riku, honey, you look so handsome!"

"Thank you very much," Riku smiled bashfully. "Is Sora ready yet?" he asked as Sora's mother proceeded to fuss over a few of his windswept hairs.

"I WOULD be ready if mom didn't mess up my hair!" Sora shouted from the other room, earning a laugh from the three.

Sora's mom leaned over Riku's shoulder to look out the window. "So was that YOUR motorcycle we heard outside?"

"Yes, ma'am," Riku nodded politely.

"Well you two be safe and don't let Sora drive it," she winked, earning a snort of laughter from Riku.

"He might be better at driving it than I am," Riku chuckled. After all, Sora has already proven how well he can drive the gummi ship, especially under pressure.

"As sweet as always," she grinned just as Sora appeared in the doorway.

This time it was Riku's turn for his jaw to drop. Immediately, his heart flew into his throat as he took in the sight of Sora. He was dressed in pieces Riku recognized but hadn't seen him wear together like this before. For a top, he was wearing what Riku recognized as the long-sleeved black v-neck undershirt he gave him to wear during one of the missions layered with the crimson dress shirt he wore for the birthday party at the mansion, but it was left unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up about halfway up the forearm. He could tell right away that Sora has really grown into the shirt in the way the tight fabric hugged his waist and clung to accentuate his abs. For the bottoms he also wore black skinny jeans paired with black high-top boots with red laces. The entire ensemble made the glinting silver crown necklace stand out all the more prominently and in the best possible way. Come to think of it, he can't even remember the last time he's seen Sora in jeans, let alone skinny jeans. And wait, was he staring for too long? How long has he been staring for? "Um...you look very nice."

Sora grinned happily as he fought off his own blush, "Hey, handsome. You ready to go?"

"I was just about to ask you that," Riku retorted before he remembered both parents were still there watching them. "Ahem, uh, yeah...I guess we'll go then. Um, good night?"

"Good night, you two," Sora's mom giggled. "Don't stay out too late."

Sora quickly grabbed Riku's hand and led him outside. "Bye, mom. Bye, dad! I'll text you later! Don't wait up!"

"You two be careful and have fun," Sora's dad waved them off before closing the door.

Now that they were outside, Riku felt a sudden rush of relief but he was also a little nervous. He looked at Sora again, whose bright smile still gleamed even in the gentle glow of the porch light. "You really do look great."

"Thank you," Sora blushed. "You too. Is that a new outfit?"

"S-some of it is," Riku stammered.

"Aw, Riku," the brunette smiled as he reached for Riku's hand. "The flower is a nice touch."

"Oh! Actually, this is for you!" the silverette reached into his front pocket to hand Sora the small yellow blossom.

"Aw, you brought me flowers!" Sora giggled playfully. Suddenly his eyes widened in realization and he held it up to his chin. "Am I yellow?"

Riku laughed as sure enough, there was just enough light coming off the porchlight to reflect the yellow color onto the bottom of Sora's chin. "You sure are," he grinned as he took the flower gently from Sora and tucked it into his hair behind his ear. "Perfect."

"Perfect enough for a selfie?" Sora asked as he whipped out his phone.

"Sure, why not?" Riku laughed and leaned in while Sora took the picture.

"Cheese!" Sora smiled broadly as they both posed for the camera.

"Well, this date is off to a great start. It's been twenty minutes and we haven't left your front yard. We should probably get going," Riku reminded as he took Sora's hand and led him over to the bike.

Sora waited for Riku to mount the bike first before straddling it behind him. "We're not running late, are we?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around Riku. "You haven't told me where we're going yet."

"You'll see," Riku promised as he kicked the stand up and drove off towards their destination.

As Riku drove, Sora braced himself into the warmth of Riku's back, sighing happily as the wind blew through his hair that he didn't really need to fuss over so much after all. As his hands grasped around Riku, his fingers clutched gently at his soft sweater and he could already imagine burying his face into it later. After a few minutes, Sora lifted his head to see that they were quickly approaching the colorfully lit pier and smiled as he gave Riku an affectionate squeeze of approval. When they arrived, Riku parked a fair distance away so he could dismiss his bike and held Sora's hand as they walked.

"Surprised?" Riku asked.

"OH YEAH, totally!" Sora giggled.

"Liar," the taller teen called him out as he picked a stray leaf out of Sora's hair. "But that's fine, this isn't the actual surprise. As it turns out, they're showing a movie tonight."

Sora checked to make sure the flower was still in his hair and was happy to feel it was still tucked behind his ear, despite the drive. His eyes lit up when Riku mentioned a movie! "Really? What movie?"

"I think it's called The Princess Bride? I figured it was something we both might like," Riku shrugged. "And if it turns out you don't like it, there's still the amusement park."

"Sounds great!" Sora cheered happily as he leaned close into Riku who tucked both their hands into the pocket of his blazer.

"Your cheeks are red. Are you cold?" he asked.

Sora shook his head, "I'm just happy."

"I'm happy too," Riku smiled fondly, earning a shy giggle from Sora.

Together the two found where the movie was being aired outside. There were rows of benches set up in front of the large white concession building and a project was set up to project the movie on the side of it. Seeing as how it hasn't started yet, the two went ahead to the other concession stands to buy some snacks to enjoy the movie with before picking their seats. The benches weren't the most comfortable to sit on, but at least they had backs on them, unlike the ones in Twilight Town, so both could lean back and enjoy. At Sora's insistence, they picked the front row, which given the way the movie was set up was probably for the best. Sure the angle was a little tilted from their perspective but they were closest to the speakers so they could hear everything much better over the sounds of the amusement park inthe background.

The wind sweeping off the pier was a little chilly but it had the added benefit of Sora snuggling closer into Riku while they fed each other bites from their snacks while they waited for the movie to start. By the time the movie started, Riku had freed up one of his hands so he could wrap an arm around Sora's waist and rest it on his thigh, which pleased the smaller teen very much.

The movie started out sweet enough. Both snickered at the adorable grandpa pinching the boy's cheeks and were quickly enamored with the love story between Buttercup and "Farm Boy". Sora was already invested and couldn't help laughing when the young boy in the story interrupted his grandfather to ask, "Is this a kissing book?"

Giggling, Sora leaned to whisper into Riku's ear, "Riku, is this a kissing movie?" earning another laugh from the elder teen just at the boy in the movie asked "When does it get good!?"

By the time Princess Buttercup nearly got eaten by the shrieking eels, both teens had finished their snacks of corn dogs and cotton candy and only had their giant shared soda to contend with. Every time Riku took a sip, he offered the straw to Sora who took a sip without even tearing his eyes away from the screen. As much as they laughed while the swordsman negotiated with the masked swordsman, together the two also watched with bated breath as they had their swordfight, neither knowing which one they wanted to root for. As the two fought, Sora couldn't help wondering if he and Riku looked half as cool when they sword fought...but if he were perfectly honest, probably not. As if guessing what he was thinking, Sora could feel Riku shaking next to him as he chuckled to himself.

The fight with the giant was just as amusing, but the "battle of wits" was dizzying for both teens until Riku finally said quietly, "He poisoned both cups!"

"You think so?" Sora whispered back. When Riku was proven right, he snickered. "Oh, would you look at that! Well, I bet the masked man is "farm boy"," he deduced proudly.

"Very good, but that's obvious, isn't it?" Riku laughed.

"Not to Buttercup, apparently," Sora chuckled. But even as proud as Sora was for figuring it out, he couldn't help getting emotional when the realization occurred to Buttercup and found tears welling in his eyes as he found himself relating to her. It was just like when he looked everywhere for Riku only for him to appear after so long while also wearing a mask of his own. He knew then he had no right to poke fun at Buttercup when he himself didn't even catch on as quickly to Riku's reappearance in his own life.

Beside him, Riku could feel Sora getting emotional and leaned his head down to kiss him on the forehead while he rubbed his bicep comfortingly. Sora looked up to smile at him and scooched even closer, wrapping an arm around him as well before both turned their attention back to the movie. Both were extremely amused at Westley's explanation of how he became the dreadful Pirate Roberts while they ventured through the fire swamp. Again, it reminded them of somebody they knew and both laughed a little louder and a little longer than the rest of the audience did.

After that, things seemed to escalate in the movie rather quickly. First there was the dream fake out, then there was the false promise made to Buttercup, then the swordsman and the giant were reunited, and then there was the life-sucking machine being used on Westley in a secret torture chamber. When the enraged prince stormed down to turn the torture machine up to 50 and Westley let out a horrid scream both Sora and Riku's jaws dropped, "Too real." Between them they didn't realize they were clutching each other's hands as tightly as they were until the giant and swordsman were back on screen and they relaxed their grip.

As beautifully shot as the scene was where the swordsman called upon his deceased father for guidance, Riku fought hard to control his laughter as the man stumbled around aimlessly with his sword as he expected it to be his guiding beacon and couldn't help stealing glances at Sora the entire time. When the swordsman leaned against the knobby tree in frustration only to accidently open the tree's secret door, he finally lost it and had to bury his laughter in Sora's neck. The brunette couldn't figure out what was so darn funny, but he had a feeling it had something to do with him.

When the swordsman and giant found poor Westley's dead body and took him to Miracle Max for a convenient miracle, Sora was practically cry-laughing, especially when he explained the difference between mostly dead and definitely dead. "W-why do I relate to this movie so much?" he sputtered between laughs as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Too soon, Sora, too soon!" Riku managed to wheeze as he was practically bent over from laughing too.

The duo were on the edges of their seats, snickering as Westley, the giant, and the swordsman made their plans to storm the castle. The blabbering priest during the wedding had Sora in stitches even as the giant was lit on fire to scare away the guards. However, the old man that had Riku dying of laughter was the king himself who was just too delighted when Princess Buttercup kissed him on the cheek for being so kind. By now the chase was on. The swordsman was chasing the six-fingered man who killed his father, the giant was looking for Westley who he left for just a moment, and Buttercup was...somewhere.

So when the poor swordsman took a dagger to the stomach, Sora almost couldn't believe it and gasped audibly as he started muttering about how he failed. He felt like the kid that kept interrupting his grandpa throughout the story. In fact, he was waiting for the kid to interrupt at any moment to tell his grandpa he was reading it wrong again. But after a quick reunion scene between Buttercup and Westley, the two swordsmen were at it again with Inigo Montoyo repeating, "My name is Inigo Montoyo. You killed my father. Prepare to die," over and over, fueling his ability to get back on his feet and best his foe and earning cheers from the movie-going crowd as they applauded his comeback. When he won, Sora and Riku were applauding with the rest of the crowd only to be quickly silenced when the evil prince comes to ruin Buttercup and Westley's touching reunion.

The exchange that followed was probably some of the best sass and disdain ever uttered by any human ever when Westley described what "to the pain" means. It was so epic and grand, Riku cursed the fact that he doesn't think he'd be able to memorize all of it even if he tried so he couldn't repeat it later for himself. When Westley successfully bluffed his way out of the fight and the group finally escaped with Princess Buttercup, Sora and Riku both found themselves aww-ing at the final description of their kiss while both secretly wondering if any of their kisses have maybe topped that, or maybe ever might end up in that top five that were mentioned.

When the movie ended, the two were some of the last to end their seats, even waiting for the credits to end before finally getting up and stretching with a shared groan.

"Good movie, huh?" Sora asked as he tossed the remnants of their trash into a garbage receptacle.

"Mm-hmm," Riku hummed as he sucked down the last of their giant soda until there was nothing but ice before tossing the cup into the garbage as well. "I really liked it. Wouldn't mind watching it again sometime."

"Same here!" Sora smiled broadly as he reached for Riku's hand who of course took it and slipped it into his blazer pocket in a way that suggested that's just where Sora's hand belongs.

"So what would you like to do next? We have another hour before the place closes," Riku pointed out.

The two decided to go on a couple of rides while the lines were still short. There was still no way that they'd be able to get on the roller coaster because that line still looked never-ending, but they had quick access to the bumper cars which of course they enjoyed every second of as they mostly went after each other. At one point Riku got pinned in a corner after relentlessly teasing Sora, so the brunette had way too much fun backing up and ramming into him over and over to rattle the daylights out of him. When their time was up, he had to run away quickly because Riku looked like he was about the bash his brains out for real!

After that, there was a ride similar to Sora's spinning teacups, but it was spinning apples where the inside was completely enclosed. Of course, Sora and Riku weren't satisfied until they could make their apple spin much faster than everybody else's, even if it left the both of them tired and extremely dizzy! Lastly, of course, the two got in line to ride the Ferris wheel together. However upon seeing how long the line was taking since everybody insisted on being in pairs, the two left the line to spend the last few minutes they had on the edge of the pier.

The view of the moon reflecting on the surface of the water beneath a sky full of shimmering stars was a sight to behold. So much so, the noisy atmosphere on the pier was almost drowned out of their senses. Sora leaned forward on the railing and gave out a small shudder as a gust of chilly wind blasted him in the face. With a chuckle, Riku came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, enveloping him in a cocoon of warmth. "Are you cold?"

"Not anymore," Sora grinned as he stood up to lean back against Riku. Though there were still a lot of people around, Riku is so tall that from behind, nobody would've been able to tell that Sora was there at all. It felt so...safe. "Hey, Riku, why were you laughing so hard during that one part where the swordsman found Westley?"

Riku hummed as he tried to remember the part Sora was talking about but then his face broke into a wide smile and he started shaking as he tried so hard not to burst into laughter again. He could almost hear the expression of irritation that was no doubt growing on Sora's face and squeezed his arms around him tighter. "I'll give you a hint. May your heart be your guiding key~"

Sora's brow furrowed briefly as he tried to think and then his eyes widened in realization. "OH COME ON! That is NOT how I do it!"

The taller teen couldn't contain himself any more and burst into laughter, leaning his head down to bury his face in Sora's neck to mumble apologies as he shook from his own mirth. "I'm sorry, heh heh heh!"

"No you're not," Sora pouted but he found he couldn't stay mad as he felt Riku's hot breath on his neck. "Rikuuuuuu!" he whined.

Riku kissed his cheek before straightening his head up once again. "What was your favorite part?"

"I liked the sword fight after he pulled him off the cliff. That was great!" Sora cheered.

"Yeah, I liked that too. Reminded me of when we were kids. We didn't look nearly as cool, though."

"That we didn't," Sora laughed. "But I dunno, I always thought you looked cool no matter what you did."

"You did?" Riku asked, slightly surprised as his fingers laced themselves together over Sora's abdomen and fingered the smooth fabric of his shirt.

"Mm-hmm," Sora hummed shyly. "I think I told you before...for the longest time I wanted to be just like you."

Riku smiled softly and nuzzled his face into the top of Sora's soft, messy hair, "And as I told you, I've always wanted to pursue life the way you do."

"Yeah," the brunette sighed happily, tilting his head back to look up at Riku's glittering eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too," the silverette responded in kind before kissing the tip of Sora's nose, earning a sweet smile from the flushed keyblade master in his arms. But then he felt a chill that didn't come from the wind and glanced around. He felt like he saw something bright in his peripheral vision.

"Riku?" Sora questioned quietly.

"I feel like we're being watched," Riku frowned.

"Of course we are," Sora giggles and turns in his arms to face him, his hands sliding up the teen's soft sweater to cup Riku's cold cheeks. Very carefully he stood on his toes to bring his face closer to his, "It's because the most handsome man on the island is here with me."

"You think so, huh?"

"I know so~"

Riku smiles and closes the gap between them to kiss Sora deeply. Despite the chilly wind, Riku could feel his whole body warming up as Sora's thumbs gently brushed over his cheeks. Though he wanted more, he forced himself to pull away but just barely, enough so that they were still touching noses. "Okay, smooth-talker, but I'm being serious. How about we go somewhere else? This place is going to close soon."

"You're right," Sora nodded. "Let's get out of here."

"As you wish~" Riku grinned.

The two left the pier and walked for a bit before finding themselves at the park playground. With a devilish grin, Sora found two sticks lying on the ground and tossed one to Riku. "You seem a decent fellow, I hate to kill you."

Riku caught the stick and took his stance. "You seem a decent fellow, I hate to die," he smirked.

"Begin!" Sora snickered before lunging forward with his "sword". Together the two reenacted the sword fight, each quoting their assigned characters very badly as they hopped all over the playground equipment laughing like a bunch of doofuses while they swiped at each other without any finesse whatsoever. They even managed to reach a high bar that Sora swung off of, only for Riku to follow right behind and perform a backflip from.

"Okay, now you're just showing off!" Sora laughed.

"What, he did it in the movie!" Riku snickered before picking up his stick again. 

As they clashed sticks, neither noticed a small group of teens lurking nearby, too caught up in their game of pretend until Sora finally fell to his knees and said, "Kill me quick!"

"I would soon destroy a stained glass window," Riku snickered before tousling Sora's hair. "Please know I hold you in the highest respect."

Both out of breath and giggling childishly, Riku held out a hand to help Sora off the ground. Sora accepted happily only to sit in one of the swings nearby while he caught his breath. "You gave me a run for my money," he laughed.

"We're just a little out of practice," Riku chuckled as he stood behind him and gently pushed him on the swing.

"Fencing has too much legwork," Sora mused.

"Spectacular performance, you two!" a voice called out from the dark. Both Sora and Riku looked up to see four teenagers walking towards them, ones they instantly recognized to be the ones they met on New Years; the blitzball players from Zan Academy. "Too bad we won't be seeing much of that in the blitzball arena," the one named Nero mocked.

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Riku asked coldly as he released the chains from the swing. Sora stood up too and both teens cautiously approached the four walking towards them.

"Because we know your secrets and we'll spill every single one of them if you don't either throw the game or remove yourselves from the team altogether," Nero jeered as he waved a cell phone on front of him. "Show 'em, team," he commanded and the other three with him also held out their phones. Every single one of them had pictures of Sora and Riku either holding hands, exchanging affectionate looks, or the most jarring, sharing kisses. Nero even had one of them on the pier from mere minutes ago.

"Hmph," Riku scoffed and put a hand on his hip. "They're not even _good_ pictures."

Sora bursts into a fit of laughter, earning an amused nudge from Riku. "I'm sorry, I can't help it!"

"A wise guy, huh? Go ahead and laugh. They always do before they start crying for mercy," Nero sneered.

"Hey, Tron, did you catch all of that?" Sora asked.

"Affirmative. Running executables," Tron answered quietly from the gummi phone attached to Sora's hip.

"Who the hell is Tron?" one of the teammates asked.

"Never you mind," Riku answered. "We had a feeling we would be targeted after we were warned by the team. The fact that you bothered with us first just shows that you couldn't find dirt on the rest of the team, right? So you went with the easiest targets."

"Yeah! We're not even the best members on the team. Just shows how desperate you are!" Sora smirked as he called them out.

"Playing modest isn't going to get you anywhere. We've already seen your practices. We know where you stand on the team. Just for that, we're not even giving you the option to pull out. You're going to stay on the team and throw the match or everybody will know all about your dirty secrets," Nero threatened as he leered at Sora specifically. "And not just your relationship, either. I'm sure the media would pay a lot of money to see those fancy scars of yours. What a story THAT would make." With a flick of his head, another one of the blitzball players flipped through their phone to show the picture they took during the practice where Sora took a bad hit and had to recover on the boat, the dark, bruised scar on his chest in plain view.

At the threat, Sora's stare darkened considerably, startling one of the younger members of the team. "Even if you spread that other stuff around, one of two things would happen," he explained in an icy tone as he held up two fingers. "One: Around here people would laugh and tell you those pictures don't mean anything. "That's just Sora and Riku. They've always been that way~" they'd say. We've gone to enough places to know that people will go a long way to ignore something right under their noses. And two: Even if they did believe it, it's very likely hardly anybody would be surprised. Letting the cat out of the bag would lack the impact you're going for."

"Besides, you should be less worried about exposing us and rather what's going to happen to YOU now that we know you know," Riku added with his own intense glare.

"Oh yeah? What can you two possibly do?" Nero stepped forward so he was right in Sora's personal space. "Even if you stopped us now, everybody on the team has copies of these pictures. And what's to stop us from getting even more dirt on you? The way I see it, we OWN you and your pretty--"

"SHUT UP!" Sora suddenly shoved the teen back with surprising force, startling the whole group. "Not another word out of you!"

"That's enough!" Riku stepped between Sora and the rest of the team.

"What, now you need to rescue your little boyfriend?" one of the other members of the team jeered. "Think you can take on all of us!?"

"It's not him who needs rescuing, you idiots!" Riku scoffed.

Before the four could even retort, they all heard beeping from their phones and looked down to see the photos they have taken have been deleted. "Nero, what the hell happened?" one of them asked.

Nero was scrambling to look through his own phone, unable to find the pictures he took today or even any of the pictures or text messages from the rest of the team that had the file attachments. "What the hell is this!?"

"Hehe," Sora gave a cheesy grin to Riku.

"It doesn't matter! The other team members will have the pictures!" one of the other team mates said loudly.

"I have a good feeling that they won't~" Sora smirked as he stepped forward to stand beside Riku once again. "Just give it up. You got nothing! You should spend the time you have left improving your throw rather than following us around!"

"We're done here, let's go," Riku nodded to Sora and they turned to leave.

"We'll get more pictures. You will all slip up again!" Nero threatened at their backs. "And who's to say we even need pictures? Right, team?" he cackled while the others agreed. "You have all these witnesses. It'll just take a few words from us to your school and they will launch an investigation. Oh and the media! They'll never stop hounding you and your families once we tell them what we know!"

"That's enough out of you!" Riku whirled around but Sora was faster!

"LIGHTNING STRIKE!" Sora spun around, one arm reaching for the sky as he summoned blinding bursts of lightning from the sky all around them before their very eyes, his open shirt flapping about in the wind as the ground shook all around them from the force of impact. It all happens almost too fast for any of them to see. The air is hot all around them and crackling with electricity. The team stumbles to the ground with their hair standing on end, unhurt but blinded by what they just witnessed.

Out of instinct to record what had just happened as the singed ground all around them slowly faded back to normal, they reached for their phones only to simultaneously cry out in dismay when they realized that none of them were working. All of their phones had been completely fried! As they all started to freak out, one of them sounded like he was about to cry! "My phone!!!"

"Something tells me you four won't be taking pictures any time soon," Sora mocked as he crossed his arms.

"W-what are you!?" one of the cowering team mates asked.

"At the moment?" Sora shrugged as he brushed his windswept bangs out of his face. "I suppose I'm generous. After all, I didn't have to miss."

"NOW LISTEN HERE--"

"NO! It's your turn to listen!" Riku interrupted. "We'll settle this in the arena fair and square and if you have a problem with that, things will turn ugly."

Sora leaned on Riku, "So not another word out of your team. Not unless you want to be known as the team who can't win without cheating. Just think how _embarrassing_ that'd be for Zan Academy. Tsk tsk."

At the cowering team's silence, the two decided they were done and left the park, leaving the four to cower and shake in the dirt as they tried to figure out how to get their legs to work again.

Once they were a fair distance away, Sora let out a groan of frustration. "Jeez, I didn't think they'd confront us on our date!"

Riku wrapped an arm around his shoulders as they walked to a secluded place so he could summon his keyblade in private. "You did great. The lightning was a nice touch," he praised.

"Yeah, well, they really ticked me off. At least this way they won't be able to take any more photos for a while."

"Even still...I kind of don't want to go back to my place." Even if Sora still seemed to be in good spirits, he felt like the whole encounter put a slight damper on their date and the idea that the group had actually been staking out Riku's place to take pictures of them has given him mixed feelings of taking Sora back there tonight.

Sora smiled as he watched Riku summon his keyblade vehicle. "Treehouse, then?"

"If that's okay with you?" Riku smiled.

"It's more than okay," Sora grinned as he leaned over the quietly humming bike to kiss Riku. "I'll follow you anywhere, Riku."

The elder teen hummed happily before taking Sora's hand and guiding him to straddle the bike behind himself. Once the brunette was settled, they drove off into the night, curfew be damned. Soon they were out of sight with nothing but the headlight of the motorcycle to light the way. As Sora hugged Riku's middle he couldn't help thinking of how he could get used to this. Just thinking of how this will soon be their permanent home gave birth to butterflies in his stomach as he imagined a future with just the two of them in their home away from it all, their place to escape whenever they wanted.

In what felt like no time, the two had arrived at their destination. Together they climbed the tree in comfortable silence and wordlessly decided they wanted to look at the stars. While Sora took a seat on the porch and dangled his feet under the railing, Riku grabbed a blanket from inside. When he returned, he spooned Sora from behind and wrapped the blanket around both of them, letting Sora lean back into his chest as they looked up at the sky together.

Sora slipped a hand down to unclip his phone and texted his parents where he was before snapping a picture of the two of them cuddled beneath the stars. "I like that one," Sora grinned as he showed it off to Riku.

"It's so dark, though, you can barely see us," Riku commented with a chuckle.

"Doesn't matter," Sora snickered as he set the phone back down beside him. He then turned slightly to look up at Riku. "I'm burning this moment into my memory anyway."

Riku smiled softly and leaned in to kiss him gently. "You better~" he murmured against his lips before pressing them together. "I want to treasure every moment with you."

"There will be so many," Sora whispered breathlessly.

"So many," Riku whispered back as he cradled the back of Sora's head.

Sora clutched at Riku's soft sweater as his heart melted from the way Riku whispered those words, as if they were both making a vow that he knows in his heart they've already made many times before. A blast of cold wind shook Sora from his thoughts and he grumbled into Riku's chest, causing the older teen to laugh as he held him tighter.

"So what's left?" Riku asked.

"Hm?"

"I mean...do you think we covered all the bases for a first date?"

Sora laughed, "I think we covered everything except you walking me to my door and telling me good night."

"I see, well then let's do it!" Riku chuckled as he disentangled himself from Sora to stand up.

"Huh?" Sora blinked in confusion as Riku grabbed his hand to pull him to his feet.

"Let me walk you to the door," the teen explained as he guided him to the front door of the tree house by his hand. "I had a really nice time tonight."

Sora giggled giddily as he tried to play along but he found he had a hard time looking Riku in the face. "M-me too. Hehe. I had a lot of fun. Thank you for a wonderful night. We should do it again sometime."

"I think so, too," Riku grinned as he leaned in close only for Sora to put his hand up to block his incoming kiss. "Mmph?"

"Mom says it's not classy to kiss on the first date!" Sora snickered.

"Oh come here, you!" Riku growled playfully as he flung the door open and dragged the giggling teen inside.


	45. Pressed Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku keeps a journal.

After a brutal blitzball practice, Riku was more than eager to crawl under the sheets and go to sleep, but first there was something he wanted to do.

Back when he and Sora first started their journey together, he had been in charge of making daily progress reports on Sora's condition, so he made a journal. After each entry, he would photograph the report with his gummi phone and send it to Kairi. But somewhere along the way, he's added other entries that didn't just involve Sora's physical condition. He wrote about their adventures, the places they've been, and even added a few small keepsakes in between the pages. He wasn't sure why he did it. Maybe it was just so that he could have something to write that wasn't so disheartening, especially during the weeks when Sora didn't seem to be showing any improvement.

Now, curled up in his bed and flipping through the journal's pages with a yellow flower from the garden next to him, he's considering writing in it again. There was something cathartic about recording the day's events before going to sleep, he recalled. Even now, just perusing some of the entries between the detailed notes, he had a smile on his face. The nostalgic scent of accidental spilled coffee wafted through its pages along with the scent of pressed flowers. Olive blossoms and rosemary from their double date in Thebes. Daisies, violets, and forget-me-nots from flower crowns in Corona. Pink petals from tree blossoms in the Symphony of Sorcery. Hibiscus from the day they returned home together with an album to show their parents. Now there was going to be the new addition of a winter aconite to commemorate their first date. As he scribbled down the entry, a thought occurred to him.

"These flowers are supposed to close at night, aren't they?" he puzzled as he held up the flower whose petals were still very much open. He recalled the one he put in Sora's hair stayed open as well. "Interesting," the green-eyed teen grinned as he twirled the thin stem between his fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the confusion when I accidently posted the last chapter to the wrong story. Thank you to all of those who messaged me to let me know about my mistake. Hehe. <3


	46. Valentine's Day and White Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku celebrate Valentine's Day and White Day. As to be expected, there's bound to be high school drama involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  
> If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  
> If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.  
> Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
> It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  
> Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
> It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  
> Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  
> For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.  
> When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  
> Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  
> And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
> 
> 1 Corinthians 13

In the following weeks since the incident on their date, Sora and Riku hadn't seen any sign of the rival blitzball team. They even informed Wakka of the encounter. As the team captain, he did have the right to know, but they left it up to him to decide whether or not to tell the rest of the team. After all, that sort of information could prove to be distracting and maybe even hurt morale in the long run. Since then, Wakka had the brilliant idea to invite "cheerleaders" to the practices; basically female volunteers who would keep an eye out for anybody suspicious while also cheering on the team. To their amazement, there was actually quite a turnout. Many girls had actually started coming to the practices and lining the beach to watch them play.

"How did you convince them to come, Wakka?" Riku asked as they practiced their grappling moves on each other on the beach where they already had quite the audience. In fact, out of the corner of his eye, Riku recognized some of them as the girls that were crowding his desk a while back.

"You promise them eye candy, and they come running, ya?" Wakka snickered as he flipped Riku and pinned him into the sand.

"Eye candy!?" Riku grunted before tapping Wakka's arm so he'll let him up.

"You can do it, Riku!" one of the girls cheered from the beach.

"Yeah, let him have it!"

Wakka gave Riku a teasing grin. "Come on, give 'em what they want, Riku! HAHA!" he guffawed playfully.

And deliver, Riku did, lunging forward and faking Wakka out by swiftly climbing onto his back and throwing his weight into Wakka's shoulder to throw him off balance before grappling him to the ground, earning cheers from the small group as he pinned the team captain into the sand.

Meanwhile, Sora, Tidus, and the other fielders were practicing their passes and scoring against the goalkeepers. If any of them missed against the goalkeeper, they were to run a quick lap around the practice beach, which wasn't too bad. However, they were training with wrist and ankle weights to prepare them for the rigors of throwing balls at high speed under water. So running extra laps in the sand was less than pleasant. In fact, Sora had to run his own fair share of laps, but if anything he felt that was more of a testament to their goalkeeper's skill rather than his own lack of prowess. Then again, Tidus hasn't had to run ANY extra laps yet. As it turns out, Tidus really does shine in blitzball, despite an ill-advised pass or two during practice and to his credit he's a good teammate. Though today he seemed to enjoy Sora taking extra laps a little too much.

"Tough break, man! You gotta run again!" the blonde laughed when the goalkeeper deflected yet another throw from Sora.

"Again!?" Sora groaned as he took a long look at the row of girls who were watching giddily from the sidelines. Running another lap meant running past them again and listening to all their giggles as they watched him go.

"Your audience is waiting!" Tidus laughed.

"When I get back--!"

"Yeah, yeah, hurry up! We don't have all day!" the other fielders teased.

Sora groaned good-naturedly and tried to make the lap quick but he had already ran at least fifteen of these today so he was a little slower this time around. "This is worse than Phil's training!" he huffed. "What I wouldn't give to be smashing barrels right now instead!"

"Yoohoo~! Sora-kun!"

Sora looked up to see Xindy waving at him for his attention. "Uh, hey!" he managed to wave as he approached.

"You ready for Valentine's Day?" she winked suggestively, earning a wave of giggles from the girls around her.

"Valentine's--!?" he suddenly tripped and fell face-first into the sand. That's right, Valentine's Day. He nearly forgot. "Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." he groaned, muffled by the ground.

"Sora! Are you okay!?" one of the girls shouted.

"I'm fine," Sora insisted, raising a heavy arm up to give a thumbs up, but he still hasn't lifted his head or any other part of his body off of the ground. Now that he was lying down, his body felt too heavy to move and quite frankly he didn't want to get up. He couldn't have been lying there for more than a few seconds, however, when he felt a familiar presence standing over him.

"Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that!" Riku jabbed playfully as he poked Sora in the side with his toe.

With another groan, Sora reluctantly rolled over and stood up. Break time was over, apparently. After he brushed himself off, Riku gave him a nudge, silently offering to run the rest of the lap with him, which Sora accepted with a nod, much to the girls' delight. "I can't beat the goalie!" he panted.

"Maybe you're projecting your throws too much!" Riku suggested.

"You mean he can read my face?" Sora groaned. Of course! That had to be it. "How do I fix that!?"

"You either fake them out or throw them off their game. Be intimidating!" he advised.

"Intimidating? Me?" the brunette scoffed. "Yeah right, Riku. That might work for YOU, maybe."

"Well, maybe I can throw the ball, then!" Riku ribbed.

"But you're a defender! It's MY job to throw the ball," he reminded him.

"Then I'll just throw you and then YOU can throw the ball!"

Sora stopped in his tracks. "Wait, that could work!"

"Wait, what?" Riku stopped.

"Yeah, why not? We throw each other in battle all the time!"

"Is that even legal?"

"Let's ask the captain!"

The two hurried over to Wakka to ask and told him all about their idea and it was met with uproarious laughter from the captain, but he wasn't against the idea either. "You think you can pull that off, mon? That'd be great if you could! It'd make for quite a show, ya? Tell you what, next practice you show me what you got! We'll see how it goes!"

After practice, Sora barely had the energy to drag himself to the market. Riku went home right away because he had something he needed to do, which was just fine with Sora. After all, he was here to buy ingredients for the chocolate he wanted to make. But along the way he bumped into several female students who were also shopping for chocolate last minute and they gave him concerned looks.

"Sora-kun, why are you buying chocolate?" one of them asked.

"Well...why not?" he asked.

"Oh, I didn't mean anything by it, but...aren't the girls supposed to be the ones buying chocolate on Valentine's Day?" she asked.

"Yeah, well...it's for my friends...so..."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you, Sora-kun!"

"Yeah...thanks. Um...see ya," he waved good-bye before hurrying with his purchases and checking out as quickly as he could. When he got home he realized he probably bought too much, but that's fine. He can make something for his mom and dad, too! There was only one snag.

"Mom, pleeeeeeeeeease let me use the kitchen!" he begged.

"Not now, I'm making dinner!" she waved him off as she started pulling ingredients from the fridge.

"You know what, you've been working so hard. How about you let me take care of dinner? I'll order whatever you want!" he offered as he hurried over to stand in front of the fridge before she could pull out any more items.

"No, thank you! Besides, I need to use these ingredients!" she insisted as she tried to swat Sora away from the fridge.

"They can keep for one more day! Please, momma, it's for Valentine's Day!" he begged as he fell to his knees and clung to her waist.

"The answer's still no, Sora!" she laughed as she continued with what she was doing, while dragging Sora along the way.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease! It's for Riku! I promise I'll clean up when I'm done!" he whined as she pulled him along until he was left clinging to her ankles.

"Sora, you're embarrassing yourself! Get off the floor!" she laughed.

"No, I'm lying here in protest!" he pouted and he rolled onto his back in front of the stove.

"You're being a child!" she giggled as she gently stepped on his stomach with her slippered foot.

"I'm your son, it's my job!" he grinned as he grabbed her prodding foot. "Can I have the kitchen now?"

"NO!"

"BUT WHYYYYYYYYYYY!?"

"I'm home!" Sora's dad announced himself and walked into the kitchen to see his wife and son having some sort of strange dispute. "What's going on here?"

Sora looked up at his dad and gave the biggest puppy dog eyes he could muster. "Daddy! Mommy's being mean!" he whined.

"Now don't drag your father into this!" she scolded as she pressed her foot into his stomach a little further, earning a quiet oof from Sora.

"Come on, mom! Let me order dinner for us! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" he continued to beg from the floor. He looked to his dad, "I'll even order from that sushi place you like so much!"

While his dad's eyes DID light up at the mention of sushi, it only took one look at his wife's eyes before he quickly backed down. "I'm afraid it's up to your mother and if she says no, then..."

"And I do say no! Now get up, silly! You can make chocolate in the morning!" she urged while nudging him with her foot again.

"Ugh, there's no way!" Sora groaned as he rolled out of the way. "Guess I'm going to have to call in a favor," he pouted underneath the table as he hurried to make a call on his gummi phone. "Just for that, you're getting the burnt chocolates, mom!"

"Be nice to your mother," his dad scolded as he playfully kicked him under the table.

"Ow!" the brunette snickered under the table as he waited on the dial tone. "Hello? Uncle Scrooge? Yeah, do you mind if I stop by Le Bistro for a bit? I need to use the kitchen. Uh-huh...I promise I'll clean up. No...nope, no fires. Uh-huh...I don't mind if he supervises. Really? Thank you! I'll be there soon!" He scrambled to get out from under the table only to be stopped by his mom snatching the back of his collar.

"Oh no you don't! Since you're so eager to work in the kitchen, you can help me make dinner. After you eat, THEN you can go...wherever it is you're going," she scolded.

"Okay," Sora sniffled. At least with him helping in the kitchen, dinner was made a lot faster. But by the time they finished eating, his parents were getting ready for bed and he didn't want to disturb them with any noise he might make in the kitchen so he had no choice but to grab his ingredients and fly to Twilight Town on his glider.

At Le Bistro, the kitchen was as busy as always in preparation for the upcoming romantic holiday so Sora offered his services to help Little Chef out after he finished making his chocolates. It took a little time, but with the tiny chef's help, he was able to create the perfect box of chocolates for Riku. After that, he made star-shaped chocolates for Kairi and used heart-shaped molds at the bistro to make a set for his mom and dad. Once he carefully wrapped each individual box, complete with a bow and label, he cleaned up and helped prep the ingredients the chef needed for tomorrow. It was a lot of chopping and washing but it was the least he could do to repay the favor.

After a marathon of preparing this and that, he sat in a chair for a break only to drift off to sleep. When he awoke, Little Chef was patting his face and tugging on his hair to get him going. "Wait...what...what time is it?" he groaned and yawned while reaching for his gummi phone. "OH NO! I'm gonna be late for school!!" he stood up so quickly that Little Chef was practically thrown from his head. "Sorry! I gotta go! Thank you for everything!" he shouted as he quickly grabbed his boxes and made a run for it. "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!" he shouted as he fled the restaurant.

Back on the islands, Riku left his home to walk to Sora's since the brunette hadn't stopped by to pick him up. When he knocked on the door, he was surprised to be greeted by Sora's mom instead who said he went out on an errand last night and hadn't come back yet. "Wait, what errand?" he asked.

She only smiled at him and shook her head, "I'm sure you'll see soon. Go on ahead. I'll bet he's on his way back as we speak. Just do me a favor and yell at him for me when he gets there."

"Will do!" Riku nodded and left to pick up Kairi next. "Out all night, huh? Where did he find the energy after yesterday's practice? I bet he fell asleep."

Meanwhile, Sora tumbled into his bedroom window minutes later, flailing in a panic as he dismissed his keyblade armor and unequipped the broach so he could change into a new shirt and grab his cardigan. He was still wearing his uniform pants which were now a little wrinkled and had patches of flour on them but he hurriedly dusted them off and combed his hair as fast as he could before scrambling downstairs and grabbing his pre-packed lunch out of the fridge. In his haste, he barely had time to say good morning to his dad who was still eating breakfast at the table. "Morning, dad! Happy Valentine's Day!" he greeted in a hurry, dropping his box of chocolates for him on the table before dashing out the door and saying the same to his mom on the way out, shoving a box in her hands as well. Only he then realized he forgot his school bag and ran back to get it!

By the time he got everything together, it was way too late to feasibly catch up to Riku and Kairi, so he air-stepped as quickly as he could through town, breaking his own personal speed record as he reached the block before school and ran the rest of the way. When he reached the gate, he found Riku waiting around by himself. Clearly Kairi had gone on without him and Riku was waiting for him to show up. "Riku!" he waved before jogging over to the waiting teen.

"About time you showed up!" Riku scolded. "Where the heck were you?"

"I..." Sora panted as he clutched his side. "I made you this!" he managed to gasp out before thrusting a small red box wrapped in purple ribbon into Riku's chest.

"S-Sora!" the silverette blushed almost immediately as he accepted the box. Right away he noticed it didn't look like a typical Valentine's box, as it was about four inches deep. "Um, thank you." He looked down to see Sora had straightened up again and was looking at him with wide, expecting eyes. "Should I open it now?" he asked.

"Yes! I mean, if you want," the brunette started blushing too. Meanwhile, they had already caught the attention of other students in the school yard, mainly the girls who had been stalking the front entrance area waiting to see the reactions of the boys opening their shoe lockers.

Riku could only smile at his eager face and carefully untied the ribbon so he could open the box. Inside were four perfect little chocolate truffles shaped like Komory bats with chocolate wings and details painted on with pink chocolate icing! "You made these, Sora!? They're so cute!"

"You like 'em?" Sora clenched his fists happily as the tiredness in his eyes completely disappeared only to be replaced with shimmering tears of happiness.

"I do! Thank you," he grinned as he carefully put the lid back on the box. "I can't wait to enjoy them later. Though I must admit, they almost look too cute to eat." He then noticed Sora's disheveled state. His hair was combed but he could still make out a bit of flour in his hair and traces of it on his school pants. He even had a smudge of chocolate on his cheek. "So maybe I'll just eat you, instead," he smirked before gripping Sora's chin with his index finger and licking the chocolate off his cheek.

"R-R-R-Riku!" the brunette trembled as the tip of Riku's warm tongue tickled his cheek. He felt his face grow a thousand times hotter and his knees turn to jello. The action only lasted for the briefest of moments but to him it felt like time had stopped and when Riku pulled away it felt like everything sped up again! His heart was racing and he felt like he was going to pass out! He could only stand there in stunned silence as his tired brain tried to grasp what the heck just happened, only snapping back to reality when Riku grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the shoe lockers.

"Come on, you don't want to be late," Riku said simply as he tugged Sora along, ignoring all the eyes that were still on him. To be honest he was mentally cursing himself just a smidge. He had gotten carried away again and forgot where they were when he pulled off that little stunt. Sora always seems to have that effect on him.

As they approached the shoe locker area at the entrance, Riku suddenly came to a stop and the still dazed Sora nearly ran right into him. "Riku?" he questioned quietly before peering around him to see Xindy seemed to be busying herself with Sora's locker. As quickly as he noticed, she was gone. Riku squeezed Sora's hand and left him to go investigate on his own. After all, he already saw his own locker being messed with while he was waiting on Sora.

Both teens could feel eyes on them as they approached their shoe lockers. But when Sora opened his first in a different row of lockers far from Riku's, he discovered only one small box of store-bought chocolate resting on top of his school slippers. Sure enough, the tiny card attached said it was from Xindy, but something didn't seem to be adding up. He glanced around, his eyes catching sight of a few colorful boxes sticking out of the nearby trashcan. With a frown, he walked over and lifted one of the boxes out, a perfectly untouched box of chocolate cookies settled on a nest of several other packages, some homemade and some store-bought. All of them addressed to the same person: Sora. His frown deepened as he carefully fished every gift out of the trash. Thankfully they hadn't been buried or anything and they weren't dirty as the day had only just started. "Good thing they're all so nicely wrapped," he said out loud, in case any of the other girls just happened to be listening before he carefully put them all back into his shoe locker for later, except for Xindy's.

Back at Riku's locker, his was so full that somebody had taken his shoes out and left them on the ground in front of his locker just so they could have room to shove more in. "Really?" he asked as he tried to rifle through it. "What am I going to do with all of these?" he asked as he went through them and attempted to make them neater so everything would at least fit, but it was a losing battle.

"Look at you, Mr. Popular!" Wakka laughed as he paid witness to Riku's predicament, guffawing as he gave him a playful slap across the back.

"Should I just...throw them away? OOF!" he nearly fell face-first into the pile of sweets when Wakka slapped him on the back.

"Aw, you can't do that!" Sora said as he peered around the corner. "Come on, we'll stuff what you can't fit in yours into my locker."

"But I don't want to eat all of this!" Riku grumbled.

"Don't worry, I have an idea for later!" Sora winked. "Here, give me some of those bags of cookies. That should make everything fit easier, right?"

After a few minutes, the two managed to get everything as well as their outdoor shoes to fit in their lockers. It was a scramble to get everything to fit just right so that they could actually manage to get the doors on both lockers to close without anything sticking out. When they finished, there was somehow still a few minutes left until class started, so Sora and Riku planned to meet up on the rooftop for lunch later and Sora took this opportunity to visit another classroom first.

On the way, he almost ran into Tidus, the blonde noticing the small box still clutched in Sora's hand. "Oooh, who's that from?"

Sora's face remained serious. "Tidus, which class is Xindy in?"

"Uh, 3-E, I think. Why, what's up?" the blonde asked nervously. He doesn't think he's ever seen such a cold expression on Sora's face before.

"Thanks. It's nothing, just need to return something to her," Sora said simply as he headed that way without another word.

When he slid the door open, his presence was immediately met with confused stares since he's obviously not from that class. However he paid no mind as his eyes scanned the room for Xindy, who was sitting casually at her desk and chatting up a few of the other girls. As much as he didn't want to make a scene, he was already too angry and he was here so he wasn't going to wait any longer. So he walked over to her desk and set the box of gifted chocolate down on its surface in front of her, earning shocked looks from the other girls. "Sorry, I believe you dropped these," he said before turning around to leave.

Xindy didn't seem taken aback in the slightest however. Instead he heard her let out a little huff behind him. "Are you mad that I cleaned the trash out of your locker?" Sora stopped in his tracks, her words really catching him off guard. Could she really say that about her fellow classmates? If he wasn't mad before, he was seething now. Even with his back turned he could already imagine her smugly twirling her hair between her fingers as she spoke. "Come on, Sora-kun, you deserve a princess."

"Even if you say so, the one who left me that chocolate on your desk is definitely not a princess," he responded coldly before taking his leave. In his wake he heard tons of whispers questioning his decision to turn her down, some even thinking he was downright out of his mind, but he paid them no heed. The bell was ringing and he had to hurry to his own classroom.

When he arrived, he was completely caught by surprise to see his classroom had been decorated for Valentine's Day! Large red and pink paper hearts were hanging from the ceiling with rows of paper daisy chains meeting an even larger glittery red heart in the center. Sora stood with his eyes transfixed on the giant disco ball-like heart in the center and felt his chest get tight. He swallowed hard and tried to walk to his desk, but his vision felt blurry and every time he blinked he saw something else entirely. With every step his classroom was disappearing only to be replaced with red.

"Sora? Sora are you okay?"

He could hear Kairi's voice next to him but he couldn't see her. When he turned in the direction of her desk he only saw the vision of his own heart hovering in midair, enveloped by the chains that represented his bonds with others. His pupils dilated and cold sweat dripped down his face. His legs started shaking and he grappled for the desk he knew was right next to him, but he couldn't find it! He felt numb! He felt sick!

"Sora?"

He felt the bile rise in the back of his throat and flew a hand over his mouth. "I-I need to go," he tried to say and quickly on his heel to leave.

"Whoa, what's your hurry?"

He ran smack into Tidus but he didn't hear Tidus. He heard Xigbar's taunting voice as he stumbled backwards and lost his balance. He tried to reach for the desk again but his head hit the edge of a chair instead before he fell straight to the floor and everything went black.

"SORA!"

. . .

_What happened? My body feels so heavy. My head hurts._

Sora regained awareness a little bit at a time. He knew he was lying down. He could feel scratchy sheets beneath his fingertips. The air smelled...sterile? That was the best way he could describe it. But there was something else, too, like a waft of lavender perfume, and not necessarily a good perfume either. The scent tickled his nose unpleasantly and brought him further awake. He really did feel like there was a weight resting on his upper body and it made his heart race, but he didn't want to open his eyes. What if he got dizzy again? He still couldn't even remember what happened!

Suddenly something brushed over his face, like a lock of stray hair. He felt hands roaming over his chest and his eyes shot open. There was a girl leaning over him!

"GET. OFF." he warned.

"Poor Sora-kun~" Xindy's voice cooed. "You fell down hard."

"I said get off of me," he repeated icily, now glaring up into her violet eyes that mocked him as they stared right back as if she was enjoying this. He looked down to see that she was indeed straddling his waist over the blanket he was covered in, effectively pinning him down. _Am I in the infirmary? Where's the nurse?_

"What's the matter? This should be a dream come true for somebody like you," she giggled. "What, don't you like girls?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "You have a lot of nerve to assume you know anything about me. Now get off. The nurse is going to be back any second."

"Oh don't worry, she's on break. I volunteered to look after you until she got back. We're all alone," she grinned as she raised a finger to press against Sora's lips, as if that put an end to the matter.

Sora threw his head to the side, growling angrily through grit teeth. "I don't want to be alone with you. Now get off of me before I remove you myself," he warned one last time.

"You're so cute, Sora-kun. Acting like you're not interested just makes me want you more," she practically purred as she instead leaned down closer so Sora could get a view of her breasts straining against her uniform as she pressed them against his chest.

"Who's acting?" Sora huffed, finally losing his patience and wrenching his arms out from under the blanket to grasp both her shoulders to gently push her off of him. "I'm not interested."

She sat up, now clearly irritated too. "What is your problem?" she scoffed. "How could you NOT be interested in me?"

"You're not my type," the brunette answered bluntly. "Now please leave."

"NOT YOUR TYPE!?" she practically shrieked, the volume of her voice and sudden loss of composure startling Sora very much. "Then who is!? I know it's not the mayor's daughter! You can fool everybody else, but you can't fool me!"

"If you're so smart, then why are you still here?" Sora asked as he tried to scooch himself out from under her. He didn't like this situation at all. She still refused to get off of him and if he's caught like this, it could only end up badly for him. Not to mention, if he tried removing her by force she could turn it around and use it against him.

"Wait! Could it be...could it be you're not interested in girls?" she gasped and grabbed his wrist to keep him from moving away any further.

Sora's movements paused when she grabbed him and felt his blood run cold. "Don't touch me," he hissed. This time the warning seemed to work because she let go quickly as if she had been burned.

Even as startled as she was by Sora's change in demeanor, Xindy pressed further, her curiosity now getting the better of her. "That's it, isn't it?" she grinned even as he glared at her with his piercing blue eyes. "I think I know who you like~" she teased.

"It doesn't matter what you think," the brunette growled angrily as he finally pulled his body out from under her and managed to get out of the bed entirely. The quick movement made the room spin and he clutched his head to feel a large adhesive bandage had been put there. "When did I hit my head?"

Xindy moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "You shouldn't get up. The nurse said you had a pretty bad fall."

"What time is it?" he asked as he looked around for his cardigan and slippers.

"It's almost lunch time," she answered casually. "You should lay back down. I'll take care of you~ Maybe even make you change your mind."

"Not a chance," Sora laughed, surprising Xindy and even himself. "There's no way you could even compete."

"Compete?" Xindy raised an eyebrow as she studied the grin on his face. "So you DO already have somebody?"

Just then, the curtain in front of the bed was pulled back. "Sora!" 

"Riku!" Sora cried out happily and ran to hug the taller teen without even thinking. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"What the heck happened?" he asked as he returned the embrace. "Where's the nurse? And why are YOU here?" he glared at the girl still sitting on the bed who was now grinning like a cat who caught the canary.

"The nurse asked me to keep an eye on him while she went on her break," she said smoothly as she tossed her wavy hair back over her shoulder. "Don't worry, I've been taking very good care of him~"

"Yeah, well you can leave now. I've already gotten permission to take him home," Riku informed her.

"Wait, we're going home?" Sora blinked. "But what about--"

"No arguing," Riku stated firmly as he released Sora to grab his hand and walk him out with both their school bags in tow.

Sora stumbled behind Riku, still feeling a little dizzy but somehow Riku's warm hand squeezed around his kept him grounded. Lunch hadn't started yet, so everybody was still in their classrooms. That meant nobody was around to see Riku walking him out. The two were silent as they changed their shoes and stuffed their Valentine's Day goodies into their bags and when they reached the school gate, the groundskeeper was already there to let them through. "You going to be okay getting him home?"

"His place isn't too far from here," Riku nodded. "Thanks."

Once the two were out of sight, Sora allowed himself to lean more heavily into Riku. "Riku..."

"Hm?"

"Will you stay with me?" Sora asked timidly. "I don't want to be home alone."

"Of course," Riku wrapped an arm around his waist to help steady him. "That's the plan."

At Sora's place, Riku wasted no time in casting curaga on his friend who perked up almost instantly. "Thanks!" he straightened up gratefully as he kicked his shoes off at the door. "How about I make us some lunch?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Riku asked as he followed him inside.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'm just...embarrassed, I guess," the brunette smiled sheepishly. Riku gently wrapped his arms around Sora and he felt himself melting into his embrace. "You saved me again," he chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked. "Did you need rescuing?"

Sora shook his head, nuzzling the other's chest as he slowly began to recall what happened. "I think maybe I should lay down after all."

"Okay," Riku whispered and led him over to the couch in Sora's living room. "You still have your lunch, right? Maybe you should eat."

"I'm not hungry. Sit with me?"

"As you wish," the elder teen grinned, earning a sweet giggle from Sora as he sat down on the couch. But instead of sitting next to him, Sora straddled his lap and buried his face into Riku's chest.

"Sorry for being a terrible boyfriend," the brunette mumbled.

"What do you mean by that?" Riku asked as he carded his fingers through Sora's hair.

"I made you worry on Valentine's day," the smaller teen murmured, his face reddening with embarrassment as he wrapped his arms around Riku. "I'm sorry. I just...I went into class and I saw the decorations. The hearts, the chains, all hovering over my classmates and I...I panicked."

"You don't have to explain yourself, Sora," the silverette soothed while using his other hand to rub small circles into Sora's back, carefully avoiding any areas where he knew there were scars. "And you're not a bad boyfriend. You're the best."

Sora felt his eyes brimming with tears as he deeply inhaled the scent of Riku. He smelled so clean. He could smell mint and green tea and sandalwood. The soft fabric of Riku's linen shirt felt comforting against his cheek as he listened to his steady heartbeat which calmed his own as he tried not to think about what happened in the infirmary before Riku arrived. Just thinking about it briefly made his whole body tense up around Riku's as he found himself holding him tighter.

"Sora?" Riku asked softly as he felt the teen tense up in his lap. He wondered if he did something wrong and ceased his movements.

Sora swallowed hard as he recalled the small hands wandering over his chest. He hated it. He leaned back and felt Riku's hands fall to his sides and gently grip his hips as the older teen looked at him with questioning eyes. "Riku..." he whispered, unable to speak any louder around the tears clogging his throat. He couldn't bear to tell Riku what happened, to tell him the situation he had unknowingly rescued him from. He reached for both of Riku's strong hands, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as Riku let him move them without any hesitation, completely giving them to him and letting him do what he wants. He lifted his palms and slid them over his own chest, slowly, pressing them there to feel their warmth. He closed his eyes and let his touch replace the other memory. He burned this feeling into his mind before opening his eyes and lifting one of Riku's hands to his lips to kiss his fingertips. He looked at Riku's face, his teal eyes searching his face for answers. "I only want you touching me," he explained.

Riku's eyes widened in realization. Something happened...something that stirred something possessive inside himself. Who would dare? Before he could get a chance to get angry, however, Sora suddenly leaned in to press his soft lips against his. He melted under those lips and he hungered for them. He moved his arms to hold him close as he sucked on the other's bottom lip. Even now he tasted faintly of chocolate. He wanted to devour every bit of him and claim him as his own so nobody would ever dare make Sora cry like this again. This burning intensity he felt in his chest was almost frightening even to himself. He just wanted Sora to be safe and to feel loved always. When Sora's mouth parted in invitation, he took it. Their tongues slid over each other in a slow, sensual dance as Sora pressed himself even closer to Riku, draping his arms over his shoulders and entangling his fingers in his hair. When he felt his fingers gently tug he couldn't suppress the moan that escaped his mouth only to be met with a twin moan from Sora. The two melded until they were breathless with Sora being the one to pull away.

Sora thumbed over Riku's cheeks, drinking in his loving expression, a smile painted on his face with slightly bruised lips and eyes the color of the ocean in summertime; serene, beautiful, and so warm. Riku is his everything. Riku has _given_ him everything. He has saved him so many times. He could never love another person as much as him and the idea that not many knew just hurt somehow. Sure, he could ignore all the love letters and chocolates from others, but it wasn't their fault that they didn't know. It takes a lot of courage to attempt to express your feelings and to write it off like it doesn't matter because they're in high school doesn't seem fair at all.

He recalled a framed poem or proverb or something that used to be hung on the wall in the hallway. It wasn't something Sora paid much mind to. It was just something he saw whenever he left the bathroom. It's not there anymore, but it was nine hearts with a line of the poem framed in every one. He can't remember all of them, but the ones he could remember stick out in his mind, especially now.

_Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not boast. Love is not proud._

He wasn't sure if he agreed with all of it. After all, he is so proud of Riku and his love for him, so much he finds himself wanting to shout it from the rooftops. Is that not boasting? He learned later it was watered down from somewhere else. It said love is not easily angered and rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. To rejoice with the truth...sounds so wonderful.

"Riku...you are my prince," Sora murmured as he pressed his forehead to Riku's. "I love you so much. I don't want to hide anymore."

"Sora..."

"I don't want any more misunderstandings. I don't care what anybody else will say. I'm not saying we should break any rules but I don't want to pretend that we're not what we are," he said it all quickly in one breath and looked down, not realizing he was scrunching Riku's shirt in his hands. "To stay silent feels the same as lying and I don't want to lie. I love you." He looked up, half expecting Riku to ask if he was sure or to ask where this all came from but instead Riku only smiled that soft, fond smile of his; a smile reserved only for him.

"I love you, Sora," Riku whispered, reaching a hand up to cup Sora's soft cheek and to thumb away one of his tears that have already escaped, the tip gently grazing over delicate eyelashes that sparkled with the rest of his unshed tears. "I'll say it as many times as you want. I won't care who hears or who listens. As long as you know it forever and always, that's all I'll ever need."

"Riku..." Sora smiled widely, the tears now flowing down his cheeks and splashing down his front, but he didn't care. His body trembled with how much he loved the man before him. His heart felt like it could burst at any moment. He straightened up and tried to fist his tears away, giggling with embarrassment as Riku continued to smile at him. "H-happy Valentine's Day, Riku," he hiccupped.

Riku chuckled and pulled Sora close again by his tie so he could kiss the tip of his wet nose. "Happy Valentine's Day, Sora." 

One month later...

It's White Day. Sora got a text from Riku to head to school without him. He was running a little late. In the school yard, girls were standing everywhere expectantly for the boys to return their favor from Valentine's Day. Everywhere Sora looked, guys were handing out white chocolate to the girls and those who were still waiting were chattering excitedly amongst themselves. Since Sora didn't pick up Riku this morning, he had already taken the time to hand out thank you cards with a homemade sugar cookie to all the girls who had given him chocolate. He figured that was enough to not give the wrong impression but to also politely thank them since he did indeed end up eating almost all of their gifts. He was scared to do it at first, but Kairi was good at giving him the push to carry out the task. He expected them to be upset, but they all thanked him for doing anything at all. A few were disappointed, of course, but the one thing they all had in common was wondering who the lucky girl was that was going to receive any chocolate and to each of them he flat out told them he hadn't given any girls any chocolate, which further confused all of them.

Now back by their usual tree, Sora and Kairi awaited Riku's arrival. There was still some time before the bell rang and both were a little worried about him, or at least Sora was. Kairi on the other hand found it amusing as she leaned with her back against Sora's while she read through her English homework one more time. "Maybe he's nervous~" she snickered.

"Nervous? Riku? Never!" Sora snickered. "Wait, why would he be nervous?"

"Uh, duh? You gave him chocolate. He has to return the favor, remember?" she reached up and prodded the side of his head without even looking up from her book.

"Well, yeah, but...you don't think he'd do it here, right? I mean, he might just wait until we go home," Sora stammered. Though even as he said it, he felt his own heart racing as he realized Kairi might have a point. "Wait wait wait, I'm not ready for this!"

"Too late, he's here~" Kairi giggled and straightened up to grab her things.

"Wait, what!?" Sora turned around and looked at the gate. Sure enough, Riku had arrived and in his hands he had a white box topped with a gold bow similar in size to the one Sora gifted him for Valentine's Day. Like Sora, everybody in the schoolyard seemed to have stopped what they were doing to watch Riku whose eyes scanned the area for Sora. The brunette suddenly found it very hard to breathe as Riku caught sight of him and began walking over. Behind him, Kairi laughed into her hand and gave Sora a playful nudge, forcing him to stand up to greet Riku properly. "G-good morning!" he stammered, knowing full well his cheeks were probably already red.

"Good morning, you two," Riku greeted. He stood there for a long moment and watched Sora's stature become more and more awkward and nervous. All he could do was smile as he did his best not to let on that he was teasing the brunette while he knew Kairi was sitting there watching and could clearly see what he was up to. Finally, even he couldn't stand it any longer and held the box out to Sora. "Happy White Day, Sora."

Sora stared down at the box for what felt like the longest two seconds ever before accepting the box with trembling hands. All around him he heard excited whispers and gasps. It wasn't fair. How does Riku manage to keep his cool!? He finally looked up from the box and gave Riku a big smile, "Th-thank you, Riku!" But no sooner had the words left his lips, the school yard ERUPTED with squeals from a lot of the girls, startling the heck out of Sora and Riku as their cries pierced the silence between them. Meanwhile, Kairi's hands have flown over her mouth as she tried her hardest to keep from laughing and ruining the moment, even though it was already clearly very disturbed.

"Uh...well..." Riku couldn't help laughing anyway and brushed his fingers over Sora's. "You going to open it?"

"Oh, right!" Sora chuckled and carefully took the top off of the box to reveal..."Oh no."

Riku grinned slyly as he waited for Sora to look up again so he could see the expression on his face, but from here all he could see were Sora's hands shaking.

Inside the box nested four very large strawberries coated in white chocolate and "Happy White Day, Sora" drizzled on them with dark chocolate, clearly hand-dipped and written by Riku himself. So many feelings were felt at once. He wanted to kiss him. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run. He wanted to die! The blood in his body rushed to too many places at once. His face felt hot and his heart was pounding HARD and his knees were beginning to shake. OF ALL THINGS! How could he!? This was utter betrayal! He looked up at Riku and saw that shit-eating grin on his face that just screamed that this was all intentional. "RIKU, YOU JERK!" he screamed before clutching the box tightly to his chest and running inside the building leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Riku grinned smugly as he watched Sora run away. "So he likes them then."

"You two are hopeless!" Kairi laughed.


	47. Growing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idle rambling thoughts from Riku as he observes the growth in himself and others.

Sora is getting taller. The top of his head comes just up to Riku's chin, the perfect height for forehead kisses and head nuzzles. Ironically, the last to actually realize it is probably Sora himself. It's very likely he hasn't realized it yet because everybody close to him was still taller, except for Kairi.

But Riku could tell, even if Sora couldn't. He's noticed the little bit of extra sock showing around Sora's ankles. He's noticed how he doesn't have to bend his neck down as far to bury his face in Sora's hair. He's noticed the extra step back he's had to take to steady himself whenever Sora launches himself into his arms for a hug.

It seemed to happen so fast, too. He's heard the phrase "growing like a weed" but to him, Sora was blossoming! The brunette has always been radiant, but even now since the war and the incident, he's begun to open up again. He's more confident in himself than ever before and he even stands straighter.

At his side, Riku felt himself growing as well, but in different ways. Yes, he did somehow manage to grow another inch, but he wasn't going to rub that in. He could see his face changing in very subtle ways now that he has contacts to help him notice it better. And his hair...his hair was getting long. During their cuddle sessions, Riku loved the way Sora played with his hair. Just the way he brushed his fingers through it was enough for him to melt. But then oh, when Sora grazes his fingernails over Riku's scalp with just the right pressure, he'll find himself moaning. And then the little tugs Sora will give during an intense makeout session...it's enough to drive him wild. The best part is when it's just the two of them and Riku has his head in Sora's lap. He could lay there for hours and not get tired of Sora running his fingers through it. Sometimes Sora even managed to give him tiny little braids without him noticing. Kairi has even asked if she could practice braiding with it after she saw a bunch of hair tutorials online. Her kingstagram was flooded with photos of him afterwards.

The only problem was that Wakka warned him it could be used against him in the blitzball arena if he isn't careful or wears a head covering and Riku wasn't very keen on that idea. Swim caps irritated him to no end as he found they made his head feel very itchy. This led him to consider cutting it, but the final nail in the coffin was when he woke up one morning after a long night with very little sleep and saw himself in the mirror. Without his contacts on and in his sleepy state, he did a double take as he thought he saw his younger self in the bathroom mirror. It wasn't that he disliked his younger self, but it was a reminder of one of the darkest times in his life and made him recall why he cut his hair in the first place. It was for a new start; to leave the old him behind. Plus now it was taking too long to dry after he showered in the evenings, so it had to go.

With his mind made up, Riku ended up asking Sora's mom to cut it for him after school. She had been trimming Sora's hair for years and she had seen what Riku's hairstyle used to look like before so he knew he was in good hands. At first she was just as forlorn about the idea as he figured she would be, but she eventually agreed. So that's how he ended up in Sora's backyard in a kitchen chair with an old sheet draped around him with Sora's mom clipping away at his hair while Sora sat nearby in a lawn chair with a mirror on standby as his mom's "assistant". He was quiet the entire time at his mother's request so that Riku wouldn't accidently move his head around too much while she cut his hair and much to Riku's surprise, Sora kept his promise. Riku was pretty confident he could keep his head still even if he did talk. After all, he wasn't an antsy child anymore, but he appreciated the gesture all the same, even after Sora argued that she couldn't make Riku look bad even if she tried.

"My mother would cut my brothers' hair too," she mused as she trimmed Riku's bangs between her fingers. "Sora definitely gets his hair from my side of the family. Eventually she taught me how to do it when her hands became less steady. Every three weeks it had to be done. It was such a chore!"

Riku gave a small chuckle. He hadn't met Sora's uncles on his mother's side, but from how Sora's mother spoke of them, they seemed like a rowdy bunch. The only other relative of Sora's that he's actually met was Sora's uncle on his dad's side and all he knows about him is that apparently he doesn't like Sora very much and apparently the feeling was mutual. As for the reason why...it's one of the few things Sora has kept to himself. Other than his parents, Riku was pretty sure Sora hadn't met any of his extended family either. It feels a little strange to think about it now, considering the gigantic extended family they both have made for themselves these past couple of years.

"I'm sorry for the mess," Riku apologized. He knew the reason they did this outside was so they wouldn't get hair all over the floor inside and he certainly had a LOT of hair to get rid of. But he didn't really gather HOW much it actually was until he saw some of it gathering in the sheet on his lap. When he cut it himself before, he just grabbed it by the handfuls and tossed it in the trash. Seeing it being carefully cut away and landing in piles made the volume appear much different! So much so, he was worried about how unsightly it might look to have his hair all over the backyard.

"Don't even worry about it, silly. In fact, you're doing the birds a favor," she chuckled as she continued snipping away.

"The birds?" Riku questioned.

"Mm-hmm," she hummed thoughtfully while she checked the evenness of the length on both sides of his head. "Now they'll have pretty hair to line their nests with."

The silverette blinked as he tried to process that information. "Huh...I've never considered that before." 

"Lucky birds," Sora snickered.

"So who cut your hair before, Riku?" she asked as she grabbed the electric hair trimmer to clean up the back.

"It wasn't cut so much as it was eaten," Riku said simply.

"Oh my. Well hopefully this cut will be a little healthier for your ends," she joked. "I make no guarantees, however. I hadn't had a chance to sharpen these scissors after I trimmed Sora's."

"I'm sure it's fine," Riku laughed. Finally, she took a large brush and dusted him off before handing him the mirror so he could see her work. "Whoa! You did it!" he exclaimed as he brushed a hand through it and felt the back. "It looks great! Thank you!"

"Phew!" she laughed. "You're very welcome! If you want it trimmed, feel free to come by when Sora's getting his done. I'll do both of yours at the same time."

"Thank you very much," the teen grinned before looking to Sora. "You're still quiet."

Sora grinned, "You're so pretty~"

"Never mind, stay quiet," Riku huffed.

After Riku thanked Sora's mother one more time and helped with whatever else needed to be cleaned up, Sora got a text from his father to stop by the shop if he had time so he could show him some new things. Sora asked Riku if he wanted to come with and Riku happily agreed. Together the two hurried over and ended up staying until pretty late as they learned about utilizing small spaces in cabins and how to work with the flexibility of different wood types. Riku loved coming to this shop. There was always something new being built, always a new project propped up somewhere or hanging from the rafters. It smelled of coffee, wood, stain, and occasionally algae whenever a boat had to come in for repairs. There were just something so nostalgic about the combination of scents. Every time he comes, he's reminded of the first time he came here with his own dad to buy a small boat for himself so he could go to the island all by himself whenever he wanted. At the time, that little boat was his first taste of freedom. Even now, he's beginning to associate the smell with the home he's building with his own two hands, which is a sort of freedom in itself.

The smell of coffee made him think of Sora, too, but in a different way. The first time he ever tried making coffee for himself, he burnt the coffee grounds and tried to drink it anyway only to find that not only did it taste terrible but it was also way too hot and he ended up spilling some of it on his journal. What made it even worse was that he realized the scent was very similar to the scent of darkness that was plaguing Sora's body.

He's long since learned how to distinguish different scents of darkness from each other. When it's thick and noxious, such as with a demon tide, it smells like gasoline. When it's lingering, dormant darkness, it smells like smoke issuing from a wood fire that had been extinguished with water. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, otherwise known as Xehanort's heartless, smelled like smoke from a fire that was still burning. When Sora's body leaked darkness after he had been rescued from Xigbar and the Master of Masters, he still smelled like himself...just hidden underneath a layer of burnt coffee. Over time, it seemed oddly fitting the more Riku thought about it. After all, coffee can be a comforting smell. It wasn't his favorite scent in the world, but it wasn't bad, either. He's even heard somewhere that sniffing coffee grounds is a way to clear your nose palette. And as Sora got better, he went from smelling like burnt coffee to coffee that had just been left out for too long and with time, it too faded. Now the only trace of that scent lies within his journal interlaced with the smell of flowers; of sweet memories between pages of hardship.

Every day there are new things he wants to experience and remember for always. These small moments in the backyard, these lessons of work, these shy glimpses at lingering smiles...he wants them all. So when the nightmares come, he has something to hold close in his heart, something that keeps the light on to chase the bad dreams away.


	48. Spring Festival: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The spring semester festival is coming up! Sora and Kairi's class has decided to throw a play and Riku's class is coordinating a café! Preparations are underway!

It had been a long day at school, but thankfully there wasn't a lot of homework today. They were hanging out at Sora's place, having just finished their homework for the day and taking it easy. Riku was lounging on the couch and Sora was lounging on top of him, lazily tracing random patterns into his pec while Riku continued to read a book with one arm propped on top of the brunette. Kairi was curled up in one of the arm chairs while the three of them discussed the upcoming school festival.

"So that's how our class ended up on doing a play," Kairi explained.

"Which play?" Riku asked.

"Cinderella," Sora answered, his voice low as he was way too comfortable cuddling with Riku.

"Not just that, it's Cinderella IN DRAG!" Kairi giggled.

"In drag?" Riku blinked, lowering his book down for a moment on Sora's lower back. "How did that come about?"

"Just to be different, I guess! Everybody knows the story of Cinderella, but we wanted to give people a reason to check it out so we don't get overshadowed by the rest of the events," the redhead explained.

"I'm sure you'll stir up a lot of interest. Have you decided the roles yet?" Riku asked.

"Not yet," Sora mumbled sleepily. "The class representative is checking with the costume department to see what costumes are available and what sizes they are. Depending on what we have, the roles might be dependent simply on who can fit into what clothes and anything we don't have might have to be made by hand or bought at the thrift store."

"We know we have the Cinderella and prince costumes ready, so I guess we're just going to have to see who the dress fits," Kairi grinned.

Sora caught her grinning directly at him, "Why are you looking at ME like that?"

"I think it's going to be you," she snickered.

"ME!? No way!"

"Sora, like it or not you're the thinnest guy in the class!" Kairi said matter-of-factly while Riku turned his head to smile so Sora couldn't see, having noticed she carefully chose the word "thin" instead of "petite". "And besides," she added, "What's wrong with being Cinderella? No matter what role you get, you're going to be wearing a dress, so why not be the prettiest one?"

"Wouldn't Cinderella have the most lines?" Sora pouted.

Riku and Kairi laughed and Sora couldn't help laughing along with them too. "I'm sure you'd make a wonderful Cinderella," Riku chortled.

"Nn," Sora grumbled good-naturedly before playfully biting the top of Riku's pec to hide how much he was blushing. "If I end up being Cinderella, Kairi will need to be the prince."

"Haha! I'll take that bet!" Kairi laughed.

"It's a deal then! But I guess we'd have to get our class to agree, wouldn't we?"

"That's true. So what's your class doing, Riku?"

Riku was busy lightly tugging on a lock of Sora's hair after the brunette bit him, "Huh? Oh, since a lot of members from the fire dancing club are in my class, we're doing a fire dance café or something."

"Oooh! That sounds so cool!" Kairi clasped her hands together with excitement. "So what are you going to do?"

"Well...I didn't like the idea of serving food, so I asked if I could dance instead," Riku cautiously answered.

Sora lifted his head up, "Wait, really!? That's so cool, Riku!"

The elder teen smiled softly and ruffled the excited brunette's hair, "Don't get too excited. I still haven't learned the choreography or anything. They might change their minds later."

"But still, I think it's great that you're going to try!" Kairi cheered. "You'll do great!"

Riku grinned over at the redhead while Sora continued to happily melt under his hand. "So will you two. I hope I'll get a chance to see your performance."

"We'll definitely need to have somebody film it, just in case!" she smiled. "Right, Sora?" she looked to the brunette but he was too busy making happy noises as Riku's fingers had trailed down to gently rub the nape of his neck. "Sora?"

"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn~"

The princess smirked at the two. "Oh come on, Sora. Is Riku really that comfortable?"

"He sure is! Wanna try?" he asked with a huge grin, scooching to Riku's left side to make room for her.

"Sure!" Kairi laughed as she hopped up from the arm chair.

"Now wait just a minute--" Riku was about to protest but once he saw the happy gleam in Kairi's eyes, he let out an amused sigh and opened his right arm out for. "Come here."

"Hehe!" she giggled giddily as she joined Sora on top of Riku. "Wow, you're right, he IS comfy!"

"I know, right?" Sora also giggled while Riku shifted beneath both of them in an effort to get comfortable.

"Hmph," Riku grunted while he wrapped his arms around each of them so he can go back to reading his book. It was definitely a tight fit on the couch, but somehow the two smaller teens on top of him felt comfy enough that he could hear both of them falling asleep as their giggles quieted down and their breathing became slow and even. Beneath the two, Riku felt a little too warm, but he couldn't bring himself to disturb them, either. So he occupied himself with his book, even reading a full chapter ahead by the time Sora's mother had gotten home. When he heard the door open, he bit his bottom lip as he wondered how on earth he was going to explain this situation.

"I'm home!" she announced and peered into the doorway. When she saw the pile of teens on her couch, she immediately flew a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing as Riku gave her a helpless look. "Wh-what happened here?" she managed to ask while she attempted to stifle her laughter.

"I've been demoted to community mattress," Riku deadpanned.

"It's not Master Riku, it's Mattress Riku," Kairi giggled into Riku's chest, earning a giggle from Sora as well.

"Mattress Riku! That's great!" the brunette laughed.

"Oh, so both you comedians are awake after all! Then get off!" Riku scoffed, earning laughter from Sora's mom too.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The next day at school, Sora's class announced the roles for everybody in the play based on (unfortunately) size and class vote. As Kairi predicted, Sora has been given the role of Cinderella!

"I...uh...I'll do my best," Sora's face burned as the role was announced.

Tidus was given the role of Fairy Godmother, Selphie was given the role as one of the friendly mice that also gets turned into a horse, and Kairi was given the role of the Prince by popular vote! As they went over the roles one by one and asked for volunteers to be the stage hands, Sora sort of stopped paying attention as he looked out the window. "Why are we even doing Cinderella in drag anyway?" he muttered out loud.

"What, you mad you're Cinderella? This should be a cinch for you!" Tidus chuckled.

Sora turned around in his seat to look at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well...you know...we all thought because..."

Sora blinked before raising an eyebrow really high. "You thought because I'm dating Riku that...I'm used to dressing up like a girl?"

"Uh, something like that. I guess the class just wanted to be supportive," Tidus explained nervously.

Sora bit his bottom lip. He didn't know whether to be moved, to laugh, or to be mad. "I...I appreciate the thought, but...not all gay people like dressing up in drag. And being gay doesn't mean we secretly wish we were girls. That's something else entirely, I'm pretty sure."

"Oh..." Tidus quietly stared down at his desk.

Sora tilted his head and smiled. He couldn't be mad. Their hearts were in the right place. To be fair, he was new to this stuff, too, and they're trying their best to understand. "But you know what, I think it's a great idea. Maybe it'll inspire support and understanding for others," he grinned happily.

"Either way, it'll be entertaining," Kairi grinned from next to Sora, earning a laugh from the three of them.

Over in Riku's class they've decided on who will be cooking staff and who would be serving. The fire dance team had accepted Riku's offer to be on stage, but only after they see what he's capable of after school. After all, fire dancing could be dangerous and the rest of them are pretty advanced at this point. So they showed him one of their team videos online and asked him to learn the choreography and show them what he's got in a couple of days. One of the team members even brought a spare set of batons to lend him to practice with.

Because of the upcoming festival, their teachers went a little easier on their homework, so Sora, Riku, and Kairi decided to use this time to practice on the play island. Riku had his gummi phone propped up on a stone wall and he watched it carefully while imitating the moves with the unlit batons. Sora and Kairi were reading through their lines together which weren't very many. According to this screenplay, a lot of their emotions and chemistry are conveyed through how they danced together. "Sounds simple enough," Sora mused.

"What, dancing? I've never waltzed before!" Kairi laughed.

"Well, then let's practice!" Sora grinned and stood up to offer his hand to Kairi. "May I have this dance?"

"We don't have any music," Kairi reminded him.

"So needy!" Sora laughed and reached into his pocket for his phone. "Tron, does Cinderella have a waltz on her heart station?"

"Now playing "So This Is Love" from Cinderella's heart station," Tron responded.

"Remember, Kairi is the prince so she has to ask YOU, Sora," Riku reminded them with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Sora grinned as he sat the phone down. "Well, I'm waiting."

"U-um," Kairi blushed. "Wait, what?"

"You're standing in the center of the ball room, you see me enter looking all pretty and you want to ask me to dance! Ask me to dance!" Sora urged playfully.

"R-right!" Kairi stood up awkwardly and walked over to Sora, doing her best to stand straight before bowing formally and offering out her hand. "May I have this dance?"

"Don't forget to curtsy, Sora!" Riku laughed.

"You focus on twirling your batons, RI-KUUUUU!" Sora stuck his tongue out at the elder teen before performing a curtsy while miming that he was wearing a ball gown. He then took Kairi's offered hand and suddenly Kairi seemed to freeze. "Uh...you gotta hold my hand here and put your hand on my waist," he reminded her.

"Oh!" Kairi chuckled bashfully before doing as she was told and then looked at Sora's other hand. "So where does that hand go?"

"Well this hand would hold the dress if I had one!" Sora laughed. "I think. But I guess for now I can put it on your shoulder, if that's okay."

"You may!" Kairi giggled.

"You gotta stop giggling! You're supposed to be the manly handsome prince!" Sora grinned cheekily. "Now lead!"

"I don't even know the steps!" Kairi reminded him.

"Okay, okay, just look down at my feet and if you lose your place, just spin us around and start over," Sora explained.

"I'm going to step on your feet!" Kairi whined! "Why did you have to wear your big shoes!?"

"Fine, I'll take them off!" Sora laughed, kicking off his boots so he's in his bare feet. "But if you step on me this time, I'll be very upset!"

"Really?" Kairi asked worriedly.

"No!" Sora laughed. "Come on, you got this!"

Tron replayed the song for them several times as they practiced. Kairi only stumbled a few times, but to be fair, the sand was uneven and it was easy to get caught up in their own footsteps. After a few times of her forgetting the steps, Sora had a great idea to use their footprints to actually mark the steps and had Kairi follow them. After that, everything moved much smoother. As the sun started setting lower, Kairi felt herself begin to tire to the point where she was almost making Sora lead. The brunette didn't seem to mind and eventually did take the lead and let Kairi lean into him as they danced to the soothing and romantic song. As they danced, Kairi mused that she could see herself falling in love with Sora all over again when they danced like this. But she shook her head to rid herself of that thought. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on something that she could never have with Sora. But one day, maybe she'll have this with somebody else.

"You okay?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm getting tired," Kairi smiled.

"Yeah," Sora chuckled and stopped. "We have been dancing for a while. This would be the part where the clock strikes midnight and I make a run for it, right?"

Kairi laughed. "Yup!"

"Right! So...how does the line go?" Sora grinned sheepishly as he folded his fingers behind his head. "Oh no, it's midnight, gotta split!" he recited with wooden acting that left Kairi in stitches.

"I'm pretty sure Cinderella never said "Gotta split"," Kairi laughed while clutching her sides.

"Say your line!" Sora grinned.

"I don't even know your name, how will I find you? Please wait!" Kairi shouted melodramatically while Sora bolted for Riku.

Riku was studying the footage one more time when he suddenly felt Sora leap onto his back. "What the heck are you doing!?"

"You're my carriage! HURRY, IT'S MIDNIGHT! You're about to turn into a pumpkin!" Sora explained.

"Wait--"

"HURRY, THE PRINCE IS COMING!" Sora shouted as Kairi pretended to run after them.

"HOLD ON!" Riku laughed and ran down the beach with Sora on his back as Kairi gave chase. When they got to the end of the beach Riku tumbled to the ground and rolled Sora into the sand where the three of them collapsed with laughter.

"Why'd you drop me?" Sora laughed.

"I turned back into a pumpkin, sorry!" Riku laughed between breaths.

"Oh no, I lost my princess! I'm so heartbroken," Kairi clutched her chest dramatically over her heart while she flopped on top of the two boys. "Also she left one of her heels. She's going to have a hard time walking home!"

"Looks like the prince is wallowing in pumpkin guts," Riku laughed as he poked Kairi's cheek.

"That's so gross, Riku!" Kairi laughed.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The trio practiced together like this for the next couple of days. By the second day, Riku felt confident enough to light the batons in fire but with--

"Dark firaga!?" Sora gasped when Riku showed him. "Is that safe??"

"It's safer to me than using real fire," Riku pointed out. "At least this way I won't burn myself." He demonstrated as he waved his hand over the dark flame.

"But how are you going to explain this to the rest of the team?" Kairi pointed out. "What about world order?"

"Hey, science has shown there are ways to change the color of a flame with different chemicals. I'll just say I incorporated something to make it black to make up for the fact that I may not be as skilled as the rest of them," Riku explained.

"Ahhhh, I see~" Kairi smiled. "As long as yours looks flashy, you don't actually have to be GOOD."

"Right, as long as the rest of them are skilled, it will detract from how unskilled I actually am," Riku reasoned.

"I'm sure you'll do great, Riku!" Sora cheered. "Can't wait to see you practice in costume, too!"

Riku's face immediately reddened. That's right...he forgot about the costumes. "Uh...maybe I should rethink this."

"Come on, Riku!" Kairi laughed. "You're going to have to wear a costume whether you're dancing or not, remember?"

"R-right," Riku swallowed. Traditional garb for fire dancing usually involved very little clothing with a garment around the waist area, woven grass arm bands and wrist bands, and sometimes something around the neck, it was all very minimal. Even his female classmates were going to be dressed in hula-esque attire, but for the sake of modesty they were wearing their short-sleeved button up shirts with a grass skirt. But to dress it up, they were going to wear traditional flower crowns and flowers on their wrists.

"Are you going to give us a preview, Riku?" Sora asked excitedly.

"Sure! But I'd like one of you to keep an eye on the video too so you can point out my mistakes in the routine if I make any," he requested as he handed the phone with the video to Sora. "It'd really help me out."

"You got it!" Sora gave a big thumbs up. "Now dance for us!" the brunette cheered.

"So impatient," Riku laughed.

"DANCE!" Kairi also demanded! "RIKU! RIKU! RIKU!" she egged on while pumping her fists in the air like a cheerleader.

"Okay, okay! You don't need to gas me up!" the silverette laughed as he walked a fair distance away and lit both ends of the batons with dark firaga. "All right, here goes!" he psyched himself up and heard Sora play the video and then began dancing to the rhythm of the drum beat that came from the speaker on the phone. The routine was one of the simpler ones that the team chose for not only his sake, but also because it didn't expend as much energy considering they'd have to perform it multiple times throughout the festival. Even so, just this one time, Riku found twirling the batons while stomping his feet in rhythm with the drums really tested his stamina. The only time he really got to catch his breath was during the slow moments where they threw the batons in the air to catch them and even then Riku felt like he was holding his breath as he waited for the baton to come back down. When the routine ended, Sora and Kairi applauded loudly and whistled for him, causing such a ruckus he could only laugh. "Thanks, guys," he chuckled between breaths. "So how did I do?"

"You were amazing, Riku!" Sora applauded. "It was so awesome!"

"No, I mean...compared to the video?"

"Oh..." Sora looked down guiltily. "I um...wasn't paying attention."

Riku's eyebrow twitched. "Soraaaaaaaaa..." he groaned the other's name through gritted teeth while Kairi struggled to contain her laughter.

"Oh come on, don't be mad! You were so cool! And it's not like you're doing this for a competition! Who cares if you don't get it perfect?"

"Flattery isn't getting you out of this one," Riku huffed. "Kairi, can you watch the video this time while I do it again?"

The redhead took the phone from the deflated Sora and giggled, "Of course."

The second time around, Kairi had much better input for Riku. "You seemed a lot slower this time around," she pointed out.

"I think it's my hip," Riku groaned as he straightened up. "There isn't a LOT of stomping, and it doesn't really hurt, but having my legs spread like that really seems to take a lot out of me. This might be too much to expect out of my side at once. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and serve customers, I dunno."

"No way! I think you should just make the routine your own!" Sora interjected.

"What do you mean by that?" Riku asked.

"I think he's right, Riku," Kairi smiled. "You've always done things your own way. How about substitute some of your acrobatic skills in there instead. Show them what you can do and maybe they'll accommodate you. It might even inspire them!"

"You...really think I should?" Riku asked.

"Go for it! What have you got to lose?" Sora grinned.

"Alright...well, if you don't mind sitting through this a third time, I DO have a few ideas."

"Then let's see 'em!" Kairi cheered!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

After Riku presented what he had learned to the team, they were more than happy to let him join in. Now that there were more members to dance, they had enough dancers to take shifts so that they could all take breaks between performances. They liked the idea of keeping Riku in the middle to perform his aerial stunts and they were blown away by the black fire that he performed with. Now he just had to learn how to perform in his costume and keep in synch with the rest of the team. So when he didn't have blitzball practice, he was practicing with the fire dance team.

Sora and Kairi also had rehearsals after school if they didn't have their sporting practices to attend. So the trio didn't get to spend much time together until AFTER practice and by then the sun was usually going down so really it was only Riku and Sora who hung out if Sora invited Riku over for dinner. Even then, Sora asked Riku to rehearse his lines with him until Sora's mom started scolding him for rehearsing at the dinner table.

"I don't want any spoilers!" she insisted as she snatched the script from Riku.

"MOM!" Sora cried out as he tried to snatch it back from her, only to fail miserably. "You know the story of Cinderella already! How is this a spoiler!?"

"No, I agree. We shouldn't spoil the play for your parents," Riku snickered while Sora's dad laughed at the other end of the table.

"You're just saying that cuz they're feeding you!" Sora huffed as he settled back down to eat.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

As the festival drew closer, it was crunch time getting the sets put together and the costumes prepared for Sora and Kairi's class. At the same time, Riku's class also had to put together a wooden stage and rent/borrow cooking equipment as well as tables and chairs and decide on the decorating. The theater club even joined forces with Sora and Kairi's class so they had quite the production team going on. Other classes were also building elaborate sets and stuff for their classrooms so it wasn't unusual to have more than one class using the gym to prepare for the festival. This kind of worked out for Sora and Kairi's class because they sort of had an audience to perform for while they did their lines which helped eliminate some of the stage fright that a lot of them still had. But the real drama was happening backstage. When they weren't busy with the sets, they were scrambling to get costumes ready and were deciding on different makeup looks for everybody. 

Being Cinderella, Sora got fussed on the most, with Kairi and the evil step mother coming in close second. Even so, Sora was definitely ahead of them by a huge margin in terms of attention and he wasn't really enjoying it, especially when it came down to the dress alterations. He had a total of three dresses: a raggedy dress, a dress with pieces that get torn off and were attached with velcro, and of course, the ball gown. All came from the costume department and as stated before, it was decided he was the only one who could fit into the dresses to begin with. There was just one problem.

"I HAVE TO WEAR A CORSET!?" Sora shrieked when they showed him the binding garment. "NO WAY!"

"Don't be such a baby, Sora!" Kairi giggled. "It's the only way you're going to fit!"

Sora sighed and held the offensive garment in his hands. It felt heavy despite being such a small thing. "How do I even put this on by myself?"

"Don't worry about it!" the redhead assured him gently. "I'll help you put it on before the play."

Sora blushed heavily and averted his eyes, "I don't...I don't know about that."

Kairi huffed and flicked him on the side of the head so he'll look at her. "I dressed you for over a month, need I remind you? You don't need to be embarrassed," she hissed quietly so none of their classmates could hear.

"Ouch! Okay, okay!" Sora chuckled.

But it wasn't just the issue with the corset either. Turns out Sora would have to stuff the front as well and after a test run with the corset, he and Kairi discovered it shoved everything upwards, including his scar tissue. So the makeup team got really creative with covering up the scars with foundation and using the dark areas to their advantage, leaving some of it to look like a dip in his non-existent cleavage. Then came the wig. Getting a bald cap over Sora's spiky hair was a challenge in itself and he yelped the entire time as the makeup team adjusted it. By the time they put on the long, flowing, chocolate-colored wig and finished his makeup, Sora looked like a completely different person! It took some time before the makeup team decided on a good look for him. It had to be something they could apply quickly and they didn't want it to be over the top, but it had to be something that would really show up on stage. So they settled on a dewy look with only slightly plumped lips and glittery powder around the eyes with minimal eyeliner. The rest of it was mostly foundation and bronzing to round out his face in just the right way to make him look more feminine.

"Isn't this a little much?" Sora asked as they caked the makeup on.

"Just be glad that the wig has bangs to hide your eyebrows!" the lead makeup artist laughed. "Thankfully yours aren't too bushy, but I'd hate to pluck them and gluing them down would take up way too much time."

"Oh...yeah...gluing would not be fun," the brunette chuckled nervously.

"Your eyes look so pretty, Sora!" his female classmates squealed when his final look was revealed.

"Is that really you, Sora!?" Tidus asked.

"Guys, stop, you're embarrassing me!" Sora blushed.

"Yup, that's definitely him!" another classmate laughed.

"You guys nailed it!" Kairi cheered from the other side of the stage.

"WHOA, KAIRI! Is that really you?" Sora gawked.

The redhead's hair had been tied back into a low ponytail and the makeup team worked really hard on giving her a chiseled jawline. She was also given thicker and fuller eyebrows and the debate was still up in the air as to whether she should be given facial hair or not.

"Yes, it is I!" she tried to answer back in the deepest voice she could possibly muster, earning a laugh from her classmates which had her grinning proudly. "Are you prepared to be swept off your feet, sweet Cinderella?"

"Actually, I'm supposed to run, aren't I?" Sora answered back cheekily.

The redhead smirked and straightened up into what she thought was a pretty macho-looking pose. "Think you'd be able to run away from this, my princess?"

"Yeah, easily!" the brunette laughed and walked away.

"GET BACK HERE!" Kairi shouted as she gave chase, leaving the class gasping for air as they laughed their heads off. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY ONE TRUE LOVE!"

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Sora shouted as he fled the stage.

"Alright, enough fooling around, you two!" the teacher laughed.

After the makeup was figured out, it was down to choreography and stage planning. The costume department managed to find heels that would fit Sora and got to work bedazzling them for the stage. Since he'd end up being taller than Kairi, they had to make special boots for her that would give her a couple of inches. Once their footwear was figured out, they had to practice dancing in them which was much harder than when they had originally practiced on the beach.

"How does anyone walk in heels!?" Sora complained.

"At least you don't have stilts on your feet! I feel like I'm dancing with weights on!" Kairi hissed.

"They might as well be stilts! I'd take your shoes over my shoes any day!" the brunette whined.

"Just focus on not falling off the stage, you two!" the teacher shouted as the two edged dangerously close to the end of the stage.

Meanwhile on the other side of the gymnasium, Riku and the fire dance team were working on their routine while the rest of the class were discussing the menu. A lot of Riku's classmates had family businesses that involved food in some way so a few of them were experienced working in the kitchen, others were used to working with customers, and the others figured out how to source the ingredients. After all, at the end of the day, these events were meant to raise money for the school activities next year so they needed to be smart about where they spent their budget. Riku was really glad he didn't have to worry about any of that stuff but the pressure was still on to do the best he could on stage. After all, the performance is what's supposed to attract people to come eat. In the grand scheme of things, the menu is kind of secondary when there was already so many food options that were going to be available at the festival.

Unfortunately, Riku was too caught up in his own practice with the team to be able to steal glances at their rehearsal happening on the stage, but he could hear a lot of laughter coming from that side of the gym so he was sure it was lively, as to be expected if those two had anything to say about it. Since they were inside, they weren't lighting their batons on fire, which was fine. They had plenty of practice with fire outside already. But indoors, they insisted Riku at least have mats beneath him to perform his flips and tricks on so that he doesn't hurt himself from landing on the unforgiving gym floor. He felt a little awkward at the extra attention, but in the end he was grateful for it as the softer landing put a lot less stress on his legs so he was able to keep going without tiring as quickly, slowly building up his stamina with each practice.

As focused as he was, however, Riku couldn't help overhearing some of the other students as they gawked at the stage while they took a five minute break.

"Dude, who's the chick with the long brown hair? I haven't seen her before!" one of the male students asked.

Riku glanced towards the stage. He didn't have his contacts in since he wasn't sure if they would fly out of his head when he did his backflips so it was a little difficult to see the person in question clearly. But it was clear to him that since the brunette in question was dancing with someone with very distinct red hair that it had to be Sora. The realization made him smirk as he continued to listen, as he was pretty sure the one asking the question was one of the people from the track team that was giving Sora a hard time.

"I dunno, man. I don't even think that's a chick!" the other corrected with a laugh. "She's wearing a guy's uniform!"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"But isn't the guy dancing with her the mayor's daughter?" the other pointed out. "I'm pretty sure they're all cross-dressing."

"WHAT!? NO WAY! Then who is it!?"

"Who knows? I can't tell from here."

"That's gross. If they're going to dress in drag, they should make it funny, not try to be pretty," the track runner huffed.

"What do you care? You're not even going to see the play, are you?"

"Well now I just might. If anything, I can heckle them from the audience! HAHA!"

"You're unbelievable," the other classmate groaned.

"What are you looking at?" the track runner glared at Riku who noticed him glancing over when he talked about heckling the play. "You got a problem?"

"Not at all," Riku replied icily.

"You're Riku, right? What do you think about the play? Probably right up your alley, isn't it?" the track runner jeered.

"You have a problem with theater?" Riku asked coldly.

"No, shit-for-brains. I'm talking about the cross-dressing!" he snarled.

"Dude! Don't talk to him like that!" the other classmate warned. "He'll kick your ass!"

"What's the pussy boy going to do? Aren't you seeing a guy cuz you ain't man enough for a real girl?" he mocked.

Riku's eyes flared a dangerous shade of dark green, startling both teens as he stood up. "Who I'm seeing is none of your business. It'd be wise to keep your dumbass assumptions to yourself. Better to keep silent and be thought an idiot than to speak and remove all doubt," he advised before returning to the team for one last run-through of their routine.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

After the last day of rehearsals and preparations, the tired trio of friends walked home together. All of them had butterflies and were talking excitedly about the festival tomorrow. Sora had already invited all of their friends and confirmed that the Wayfinder trio and the Twilight Town gang were coming. Even Vanitas was coming, but unbeknownst to the others, he'd be coming on the second day of the festivities with Naminé. As tired as they all were, they were satisfied with the work they had put in and were eager to show their friends and family their hard work.

"Are your parents going to make it, Riku?" Kairi asked.

Riku shook his head. "I'm not sure. Probably not. But it's okay. You said the gang offered to film it, right, Sora? That should be fine."

Sora nodded. "Yeah, our friends got us covered. It'll be great," he assured him as he squeezed his hand.

The taller teen smiled fondly at the brunette but then snickered, "Both of you are covered in glitter!"

"It's all Sora's fault!" Kairi laughed.

"Nuh-uh! I believe it would be the fairy godmother's fault for sprinkling me with so much of the stuff!" Sora defended with a scoff.

"Well in any case, we need to make sure we get our rest for tomorrow. Don't we all have to be there at four in the morning?" Riku asked.

"Yeah...," both Sora and Kairi answered, their posture slackening.

"So much makeup," Sora whined.

"Hey, try to enjoy it, Sora," Kairi giggled. "Just think of it as you being pampered. You're the star, after all!"

"Yeah!" Riku grinned. "In any case, let's all do our best."

"Yeah!"


	49. Spring Festival: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Day One of the Destiny Island High Spring Festival!

Dawn hadn't even begun to think about raising its head by the time Sora, Riku, and Kairi had gotten to school. It was still dark and chilly and one of the student clubs was even serving a light breakfast with hot chocolate to help get everybody going. Sora and Kairi felt a little bad for Riku whose class were going to be outside all morning assembling their set but Riku seemed to be in good spirits, wearing a hoody and sweat pants over his fire dancing costume, so he didn't feel too cold. After they ate together, the three parted ways with the promise to see each other later and hurried off to assist their classmates.

Riku's class had most of the pieces of their area pre-assembled. They were given a sizeable portion of the school yard for their event. In exchange, they teamed up with the culinary club to further enhance their limited food items. Another student's parents even contributed some extra lumber and tarp so they were able to make a small backstage area separate from the kitchen for the dancers to take a break in and change as needed. Riku was really grateful for that because dancing while smelling all that yummy food without getting a chance to eat any would be absolute torture. So as it stands, the "kitchen" area and "green room" were all hidden by the elevated stage back drop and all of the café tables were grouped in front of the stage with even a small podium for a server to direct the guests. For decorations they had paper lanterns strung up and lots of colorful flowers, some of which Riku's classmates picked themselves. Riku had a lot of fun setting up with his classmates but before he knew it, everything was ready and now it was time to practice on their newly constructed stage!

Sora and Kairi helped their class put the finishing touches on the stage and it was one last microphone check and costume count before they were released to do whatever they wanted before they had to be suited up for the performance. After they agreed to meet up at a certain time for one last costume rehearsal before the main performance, they all ran off to enjoy the festivities while they could. On his phone, Sora saw he had several texts from Aqua letting him know they were on their way so he decided to go meet them at the gate. Kairi was already dragged away by Selphie so he was going to have to greet them alone.

They had been working so long in the gym that the sun had already come up. Even as early in the morning as it was, a sizeable crowd was already showing up. The crisp morning air was still a little brisk so Sora was glad that he decided to bring his red hoody to wear over his school uniform. He even wore his necklace for luck. Just having the familiar charm around his neck calmed him immensely, though it did feel a little weird to be wearing it on school grounds. When he arrived at the gate, his phone buzzed again. Aqua and the others are almost there. Another text from Roxas popped up. They were going to be running a little late, but they'll definitely make it to his performance.

"Hm, well that's fine, then," Sora chuckled as he stuffed his hands into his hoody pocket. "Can't have all of them showing up at once anyway. I'm sure it'd be too much for this crowd to take." Aqua said they made a detour to shop for more suitable clothes so Sora wondered what the three would show up wearing. He bounced on the balls of his feet to warm up as he smiled at the thought but then he noticed a somewhat familiar face at the gate. "Wait, it can't be him..."

A tall man with messy brown hair and green eyes, a man who resembled his father greatly but also different in so many ways. His father's dark green eyes are warm and inviting but this man's gaze is cold, the stress lines around said eyes a far cry from the warm smile lines that his father possessed. He was also dressed in shabby clothes and a brown jacket with green patches on the elbows with the logo of his dad's boat shop patched on the front breast pocket. The man noticed him staring and locked eyes with him before walking over. There was no mistaking it. It was his uncle.

The man stood in front of Sora, eyes studying him warily before flicking down to glance at his necklace. "Hey."

"Hey," Sora greeted warily. He and his uncle have never been on the best of terms, even as a kid. It wasn't until he was older that he was finally told it was because of a will that his grandfather left behind. Sora's family didn't have a lot of money by any means, even with the boat shop, but what his grandfather did have, he left to Sora for his college education. Supposedly, his uncle was relying on that inheritance for his next "big break" and thought it would be a given that since he's the eldest son that he would get the most out of whatever his grandfather left behind. But even from a young age, it was obvious to Sora's family that his uncle wasn't good with money. Even in his twenties he pursued bad investments and relied on gambling to get by. Despite Sora's father offering him a job at the shop, he had very little interest. It was all about getting rich quick and the fact that Sora got anything at all meant he bared the brunt of his uncle's frustration.

"So it is you. When did you get back?" he asked in a bored tone as if he felt obligated to exchange these so-called pleasantries.

"I've BEEN back," the teen answered back icily.

His uncle looked him over once again, a look of disbelief on his face. "You don't look crippled."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Sora grumbled, his fists clenched in his pocket as he kept his eyes locked on the man who dares to call himself his uncle.

The older man scoffed. "Must not have been that bad, huh? I knew your old man was exaggerating. Made it sound like you were on your death bed."

Sora sharply inhaled but he wasn't going to let it rattle him. This is how it always goes. His uncle always tries to get under his skin. Even as a kid he'd be tormented to the point of tears and then he'd mock him for being weak. That wasn't going to happen this time. He's changed since then. "I WAS. Again, thanks for bringing it up. Why are you even here?"

"I come every year. Never miss a chance to revisit my old stomping grounds...and of course to see how my favorite nephew is doing."

 _So that's it..._ "Psh. I'm your only nephew; a nephew that you probably didn't even think was alive until just now. So in other words, you're here to try and strike up bets again, aren't you?"

"You watch yourself!" the man shouted. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO!?"

"I think you should leave," Sora stated as calmly as he could muster.

His uncle closed the distance between them with one long step and grabbed the front of Sora's hoody, lifting Sora to his toes as he spat with fury. "When did you grow a backbone, you little shit?"

Even as he was lifted, Sora didn't back down or try to shove the man off. He could clearly tell by his foul breath that he was inebriated. Plus, with all the shouting, he was already causing a scene. "You know what, I'm glad you never came to see me. I think your stench would've ended up killing me."

Sora's insults only infuriated him more, especially as his deep blue eyes continued to glare holes into his own. "I'll teach you manners, you stupid punk!" he spat as he pulled back a fist to strike the teen.

"Is this man bothering you, Sora?" Aqua's cold voice rang through the air, cutting through the silent tension like a knife. Behind her stood Terra and Ventus who were none too pleased about what they were witnessing either.

"Master Aqua!" Sora gasped. He knew the three were on their way, but now that they were here, he almost wished they hadn't. He wouldn't have wanted them to see him like this.

"Mind your own bus--" Sora's uncle shouted but when he released Sora to turn around and shout at the one who dared to interrupt him, he was taken aback by the appearance of the blue-haired woman. "Oh hello."

"He was just leaving," Sora insisted.

"Now listen here--" the man whirled right back around to give Sora a piece of his mind, but Terra was in front of him in a flash.

"No, he's right. I think you should go," Terra demanded firmly as he stood between Sora and his uncle.

"Master Terra..."

The older man took a step back and grit his teeth before turning tail and leaving the premises. As soon as he was gone, Sora let out a sigh of relief and looked to his friends. "Hey, guys!"

"Who was that man, Sora?" Ven asked.

"That was my uncle. But don't worry about him. How are you guys? Love the outfits!" Sora grinned. Aqua was in a white summer dress patterned with small blue flowers and accented with blue ribbons and blue sandals. Terra was wearing an orange floral-patterned Hawaiian shirt with khaki shorts with black sandals. Lastly, Ventus was also dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and khakis but his shirt was patterned with pastel yellow paopu fruits and he was wearing neon pink flip-flops. To Sora it looked like the three of them went to a local tourist boutique for sure.

"That mean man was your uncle!?" Ven shouted with exasperation as he ran over to hug Sora. "You should never treat your nephew that way! Are you really all right?"

Sora returned the hug. "I'm fine, really. It's a long story. I really appreciate you all stepping in. But you don't need to worry about it, I promise. Let's all have fun, 'kay?" he smiled again.

Terra ruffled the brunette's hair. "If you say so."

"It really is great to see you again, Sora. You've grown so much since we've seen you last!" Aqua smiled fondly.

"Nawwww, not that much," Sora blushed appreciatively as he rubbed the back of his head.

Together, the four of them wandered around the campus as Sora showed them around, including showing them the gymnasium where the play was going to take place. There were many stalls and cafes set up, each themed around different clubs and the like. Some were even set up to advertise to other students to stir interest in their clubs and sports activities. "Over there is Riku's class. They're going to start fire dancing really soon," he pointed out.

"Sweet! Do you wanna go over and say hi?" Ven asked.

"Uh um...you guys can! But I shouldn't!" Sora stammered as he started to blush heavily.

Aqua laughed, "Why not, Sora?"

"I-I shouldn't get all flustered before the play. It...wouldn't be good."

"Hm?" Terra wanted to question further but suddenly the sounds of drums began to play behind them and he turned around to see the first dance starting. In the forefront they could clearly see Riku in the distance getting ready to start the routine with the others and all dressed up in his traditional attire...though maybe dressed DOWN would be a more accurate description. When he turned back around, Sora had his hoody over his face and the drawstrings pulled tightly so he couldn't see, his face already beet red underneath. "Oh, I see," he chuckled.

Aqua chuckled warmly as she playfully nudged the embarrassed teen's shoulder. "Are your parents coming, Sora?"

"Yeah, they could be!" Suddenly Sora's phone went off. "Excuse me." He dug through his pocket to read the message on his gummi phone. Kairi's calling him back to the stage area. "Oh no, guess I'm getting called back early. Sorry I won't be able to show you guys around more."

"Don't worry about it. We'll manage," Terra smiled. "Can't wait to see you on stage."

"Heh heh, yeah!" Sora grinned and gave Terra a fist bump. "Look forward to the show! Tell Roxas and the others hi if you see them." Sora's phone went off again. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" he groaned. "Well, see ya!" he waved before hurrying off.

"Haha, sounds like the play's going to be a blast," Ven chortled as they watched Sora disappear into the crowd. "So what do you think, wanna check out Riku's café first?" he asked the other two.

"Ven, is that you?"

"Huh?" the three turned around to see a woman with striking blue eyes and brown hair barely tamed by the ponytail holder she put it up in and a tall man with frizzy brown hair and dark green eyes who looked similar to the man they saw bothering Sora earlier but he was thinner and had a much warmer presence than the other man they encountered.

"AH!" Ven's eyes widened as he recognized the woman. "Hello again! Guys, this is Sora's mom! Ma'am, this is Aqua and Terra. They're also friends of Sora's."

"Pleasure to meet you," Sora's dad extended a hand to Terra. "I'm Sora's dad."

"Likewise," Terra greeted as he accepted the firm handshake.

"It's so nice to meet all of you," Sora's mom smiled warmly before bowing, as did Sora's dad. "Thank you so much for looking after our boy."

"No, please!" Aqua insisted as she bowed back and Terra and Ven followed suit. "It is us who should be thanking you. Your son saved our lives!"

Sora's mom looked up. "I'm so happy he's made so many friends."

"He's always been good at that," Sora's dad chuckled. "It's his number one talent next to getting in trouble."

"I can see that," Ven laughed. "By any chance, have you two seen Roxas? The other guy that looks like me?"

Sora's mom shook her head. "I haven't yet. Are they coming too? That's wonderful!"

"Riku's class has just opened their café, right?" Sora's dad asked. "Maybe we should check them out first before they get too crowded."

Aqua looked at the café behind them and saw the familiar form of Riku dart out from behind the backstage area to dash for the school. "Hm, maybe he should wait 'til he gets back."

"Where's he running in such a hurry, I wonder?" Terra tilted his head.

"Eh, I think we can all guess," Ven shrugged, earning a chuckle from the group.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Sora, please! Come on, you have to hold still!" Kairi pleaded in the closet with the brunette.

To make Sora feel better about getting dressed up, given his condition, he was given his own supply closet in the backstage area to change into his costume. However, he seemed to be having more of a difficult time this time around with the corset. Kairi could tell he was upset about something before they even started and even though he insisted he was fine, he kept thrashing as if out of instinct whenever she dared to pull on the cords to tighten it. So far all he's managed to get dressed in is the black flats, stockings, and white petticoat. Even the bodice was already carefully stuffed with silicone to help him fill out the dress that would be going on top. He just needed to get this corset fastened properly to give him the shape to fit in the dress. If the corset is even just a LITTLE loose, nothing will fit properly, so it's vital that Kairi is able to tie it just right.

"I AM holding still!" Sora insisted as he gripped a wooden support beam out of frustration. He was clenching his teeth and breathing hard through his nose as he struggled not to think of what his uncle said to him earlier. Even now, that horrible man managed to get into his head and he hated himself for it.

"No, you're not! And even if you were, you're breathing hard! I don't feel right lacing you up if you're panicking!"

"I'm NOT panicking!" the brunette snapped harshly. "I mean...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. Look, it's nothing. Don't worry about it. Let's just get this over with."

"I already texted Riku," Kairi sighed. "If you won't talk to me, maybe you'll talk to him. He'll be here any minute."

"Kairi, it's not like that. You didn't need to--"

Suddenly there was a knock on the closet door and Kairi opened it. Sure enough, Riku was standing there in traditional garb, the sight completely removing all tension in the tiny room as both of them gawked at the older teen.

"Oh my," Kairi grinned before shaking her head and stepping out so Riku can step inside. "He needs to hurry," she warned him. "We only have a few minutes left before the makeup guys are ready for him."

"Got it," Riku nodded as she closed the door. He then looked to Sora who had turned away so he didn't have to look at him. "Sora?"

"I'm fine," Sora growled. "You look nice," he also added.

Riku smirked with his hands on his hips. "I have you _that_ flustered, huh?"

Sora couldn't help giggling, "Yeah, that's right."

The older teen chuckled as he inched closer, sliding his hands around Sora's slim waist and resting his chin on his bare shoulder. "You're looking pretty cute, too."

"I'm not even dressed yet, dummy!" Sora blushed but leaned into the embrace all the same.

"Is there something underneath for the prince to see later?" Riku asked as he playfully reached down to lift the petticoat skirt, earning a fwap on the hand from Sora.

"Hey!" Sora laughed. "There's nothing! I mean, there is _something_. I'm wearing shorts underneath. Don't be such a perv!"

"Can't help it," Riku grinned, happy to see Sora at least seems to be cheering up. "Maybe we should get you dressed properly then so I can cease my advances."

"Oh like that would stop you," the brunette snickered. "But sure. Just don't hold back. This thing is meant to be tight," he instructed.

"Right," Riku nodded. "Just let me know."

Sora held onto the wooden beam as Riku got to work, letting out small gasps as the corset got tighter, inch by inch. Though the garment became more and more constricting, he found he didn't mind it as much as he did before. Knowing Riku was the one doing it for him...he tried to imagine it like a tight hug, even though said hug was making him let out small grunts as Riku pulled the chords harder and harder. "Ungh...ungh..."

"Still okay?" Riku asked.

"Yeah," Sora whispered. "Keep going."

Riku could feel his cheeks reddening with every grunt that Sora made so he made sure to make quick work of the last few lacings. "There, all done! Is that tight enough?"

"Ngh...I guess so. Feels like it!" Sora grunted as he gave a few jumps to see if the corset stayed in place properly, making certain other assets that were pushed upwards jiggle.

"Wait, where did those come from?" Riku pointed out.

"What?" the brunette asked, looking down to where Riku was pointing. "Oh, I mean, most of it is fake. Wanna touch?"

"Uh...I shouldn't," Riku grunted and turned around quickly. "I better get back. Um...are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sora smiled fondly at his back and reached for his hand to give it a squeeze. "Thanks, Riku."

"Any time," Riku smiled and squeezed his hand back. "I'll be back to watch you later."

"Right back at you," the shorter teen chuckled. "Later."

"Later," Riku released his hand and quickly left, allowing Kairi to come back inside with the first dress for Sora to wear.

"Jeez, took you guys long enough. Now hurry up, we need to get to makeup!!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

It was nearly noon by the time the Twilight Town gang arrived, sans Vanitas. Though the group hated to leave him behind, it couldn't be helped if Ventus was going to be here, so Naminé promised to take him to the second day of the festivities. Thus, she has made it her own personal mission to stake out the most fun displays and food stalls to take him to, with Xion and Roxas's help! The group were all dressed in their casual outfits, save for Naminé who had branched out in her wardrobe a bit with a light blue jean jacket over a white maxi dress with a sunflower-like pattern that she tie-dyed herself.

At the festival, it was clear the three "siblings" were garnering a lot of attention, as were their red and blue "dads" so the group tried to keep to themselves as they went from stall to stall. Eventually, they found themselves standing in front of the fire dancing café run by Riku's class and they were FLOORED by how long the line was for them to get in.

"Maybe we should ask if we can reserve a table for later?" Naminé asked quietly as she nibbled on a popsicle from one of the stands.

"Yeah, we might have to," Axel scratched the back of his head. "We can't film Riku's performance from the sidelines, that's for sure."

"Well we COULD," Roxas snorted. "He might not like it, though."

"Right," the redhead smirked. "So which one of you girls is going to convince the nice waiter to hold a table for us?"

"Huh? Why do we have to do it?" Xion blinked. "Isa's usually better at convincing people."

"I'm not sure my brand of persuasion would be appropriate for this situation," Isa admitted.

"Wait, doesn't the waiter look familiar?" Roxas asked. The three younger teens looked at the teen directing people to tables. He was very tall and muscular and had orange hair that stood up in a very tall, prominent spike, like a proud bird trying to show off.

"I think he's one of Sora and Riku's friends," Naminé smiled as she placed the young man's face.

Xion nodded as she recalled one of Sora's childhood memories, "Yeah, I think so, too! One of the ones they used to play with on the beach!"

"Maybe we should just tell him we're friends of Riku's. Think that would be enough?" Roxas wondered.

"Couldn't hurt to try!" Xion grinned. "Let's go!"

"We'll wait back here," Axel nodded. "If all else fails, we can look for Aqua and the others and head to the play early."

The trio hurried over to approach the tall teen who gave them a side glance. "Sorry, we're full, ya?"

"I'm sorry," Naminé started, "But you see, we're not from this island and we have a limited time to stay, so we were wondering if we could--"

"I'm sorry, little lady," Wakka apologized yet again as he tried to deal with another customer. "I already booked other tables in advance. I don't know if I could guarantee a table even if I wanted to, ya?"

"We don't even have to eat. We're here to see our friend, Riku," Roxas explained.

Wakka finally turned to look at them and was clearly taken aback by the three. They all bore a striking resemblance to Sora and Kairi. "Am I crazy?" he asked himself. "You're friends of Riku?"

"That's right," Xion explained. "The five of us came to see him perform and film it for his parents to see later. Do you think there's any way we can get in?"

"Hey, for friends of Riku, I'll make it happen, ya? Let me see what I can do..." Wakka grinned as he looked down at his chart. "Five of you? Let's see...give me twenty minutes and we can get you in, ya? What name should I put down?"

"If you could put down Roxas, that'd be fine," the blonde grinned.

"That'd be wonderful! Thank you so much, Wakka!" Naminé clasped her hands together happily.

A small blush rose to Wakka's cheeks, "Wait, you know my name, ya?"

"Oh, um..."

"Riku told us all about you," Roxas chimed in, "You're the blitzball captain, too, right?"

"He mentioned me?" Wakka suddenly appeared very emotional. "Aw, you don't gotta butter me up. I already got your seats, ya? See you in twenty!"

"Thanks, Wakka!" Xion smiled happily and the three ran off to tell Axel and Isa the good news.

After they left, Wakka asked somebody to cover with him and went to the "backstage" area where Riku and the other dancers were taking a breather. "Hey, Riku. Some of your friends came to ask for a table. Do you know a Roxas?"

Riku was dabbing at the sweat on his forehead with a towel, "Yeah! Yeah, I do. Has there been another group too?"

"Not yet. How many friends you got coming, ya?" the redhead asked with a raised eyebrow.

Riku smiled, "Quite a few. If you don't count Kairi and Sora--"

"Well, that's a given, ya?" Wakka laughed.

"And maybe my parents, but I'm not getting my hopes up..."

"Uh-huh," the other teen nodded solemnly.

"Should be eight, total. The other group should be a group of three. Two of them are my...I guess you could call them teachers. Look after them, okay?" Riku requested.

"Oooh, sounds important," Wakka nodded. "You got it. What are their names? I'll write them down, ya?"

"Thanks, Wakka! I'll owe you one," Riku grinned. "Their names are Aqua, Terra, and Ven."

"Got it. Well you all keep doing your best. The crowd is loving it! With the money you're all bringing in, they can fund so much for the clubs AND be able to fund the class for the next two festivals, ya? HA HA!"

"That's great!" Riku smiled happily, as did the rest of the dancers who whooped and hollered enthusiastically.

"Alright, I'm outta here. You guys need more water or anything?" Wakka asked.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

The Wayfinder Trio had a great time walking around with Sora's parents and enjoying the food stalls while they shared stories, within the realms of what they gathered they were allowed to share, of course. Eventually they came across Roxas and the others standing around by a fried food stand. What followed were a long line of introductions as they all introduced themselves to Sora's parents. Sora's mom knew the youngest of the bunch, but this was her first time meeting Axel and Isa and Sora's dad had only barely seen any of them, so lots of name exchanges were in order.

"It's so lovely to meet all of you!" Sora's mom laughed. "Thank you so much for making the trip to see the boys. I'm sure they'll be so happy to see you!"

Isa gave a rare smile, "It's our pleasure."

"Yeah, hopefully they'll return the favor and come to OUR festival. It's coming up soon, too!" Roxas grinned. "Same goes for you three," he looked to Terra, Aqua, and Ven who nodded with smiles.

"Oh? What are your classes doing?" Sora's dad asked.

"Well, I'm in the math club," Xion giggled. "So we're holding a math competition and equation contests! If you figure out the equations, you get entered in a lottery for a prize!"

"Oh...that sounds fun," the man chuckled nervously.

"And...I'm in the art club," Naminé answered shyly. "So we're holding an art exhibit."

"That sounds wonderful!" Sora's mom gasped. "I'd love to see your pieces sometime for myself!"

"Next visit, I'll bring some to show you, for sure," the blonde teen blushed happily.

"I'd like that very much!"

"And I guess I'm the only loser not in a club so I'm stuck helping our class with a haunted house. They put me in charge of blinking the lights on and off," Roxas grumbled.

"Hey, that sounds like a very important job," Terra chortled.

Aqua snorted. "Yes, ambiance is very important," she grinned good-naturedly.

"Sounds spooky," Ven commented, all wide-eyed. "I might have to skip your class, then!"

"You will not!" Roxas stomped his foot. "Then what's the point of you even coming!?"

"Well the food, of course!" Ven laughed.

"Well, you got me there," Roxas also laughed.

"I can't wait to see it for myself, as well. But for the moment, I'm real psyched about seeing Riku's class. I didn't know he could fire dance! He never mentioned it!" Axel pointed out.

"Oh!" Sora's mom giggled into her hand. "He didn't learn how to do it until recently. He picked it up so he wouldn't have to serve food."

"Yeah, that sounds like him," Roxas sighed, earning a laugh from the group.

"Speaking of which," Xion looked at her watch. "It's almost time for us to grab our table. We should head over there!"

"Do you think we'd be able to ask if they can come along, too?" Naminé asked shyly.

"We could ask," Roxas added. "It doesn't look as busy as it did a while ago."

The whole group made their way back to the fire dancing café and sure enough, it didn't look as busy, or at least there were a lot of tables open, even if there was still a little bit of a line. When they arrived, Wakka greeted them with a wave.

"Ah, you're back! Wait, and you brought more?" he grinned as he did a head count. "I see Sora's parents! Welcome! And...you three..." he nodded to Terra, Aqua, and Ven, "Might you be Terra, Aqua, and Ven? Riku told me you'd be coming, ya?"

"That's us!" Ventus answered cheerfully.

"Well we got your tables ready for you right over here, ya?" Wakka happily led them into the café area to a group of small tables near the front. The dancers were taking a break for the moment so the stage was empty. After they all settled, he pointed to the menus. "I should grab your order before the show starts, ya?"

The group pretty much ordered two of everything to try and a drink for each of them, since Wakka went through so much trouble to get them all seats. Needless to say, there was a sizeable amount of munny on the table when Wakka and a small team got back with all of their items. The group couldn't help feeling a little flustered as five of Riku's classmates came to serve them their food, all dressed in colorful costumes and greeting them warmly as they set the items down in front of them. Xion was pretty sure two of the boys winked at either her or Naminé, and Roxas and Ven knew they were getting a fair amount of girls looking at them, whether they were waiting on them or not. As they enjoyed their food, the whole group could feel the stares at their backs for a while, but since they were in front, they were able to ignore it eventually. Wakka was doing a wonderful job making them feel at home in the short amount of time he was with them before he had to deal with other customers. So by the time the next dance set was ready to start, the group was all smiles and full with yummy food and drinks.

The drummers started with the beat to get the crowed all hyped up and Roxas hurried to get his phone out, as well did Naminé and Ventus. One by one, four dancers came out, two on each side of the stage and lastly Riku came out to stand in the center, all of them earning a loud round of applause from the café as they took their positions.

From the stage, Riku saw the group immediately in front of them and felt himself begin to blush as he shot a smile down to Terra and the others before swallowing hard and taking his stance. The beat picked up and all of them lit their batons, the crowd GASPING as he lit his with black flames and he was sure he could feel Terra's knowing eyes boring holes into his body. He'll have to explain himself later, for sure.

"Is he allowed to do that?" Roxas leaned over and asked Aqua.

"I'm sure Master Riku has his reasons," Aqua smirked.

Before Roxas could comment any further, Riku let out what sound like a loud battle cry as he lunged forward and landed at front center stage and swooped one of his batons across the floor, lighting a wall of black fire in front of the dancers. The crowd applauded and cheered as the dancers wildly spun their batons. Meanwhile, Riku performed a backflip so he was mid-center again and began tossing his into the air and catching them again, his movements so fast the black flames appeared to be nothing but a blur. As the other dancers dropped onto their backs to pass their flaming batons underneath of themselves, Riku was stomping and spinning his in the center, again, performing more acrobatic feats to detract from the fact that he couldn't perform the same tricks as the others. As they all ate their flames, he was busy spinning his batons in the center. While they did more complicated dance steps, he was drawing flaming circles into the floor around them in a break dance like move that required sweeping his legs underneath of them and they jumped with perfect timing to avoid his feet. Though the flames on the dance floor extinguished quickly, if you were on stage you could see perfectly made scorch marks from where they had to perform this routine many times already.

All the while, Roxas was practically speechless as he kept the camera zoomed in on Riku. Meanwhile, Naminé had a little less biased approach with her filming as she kept it zoomed out to take in the entire dance stage to catch all of the action. Xion was having a blast taking action shots of Riku herself. Meanwhile Terra and Aqua looked so proud as they watched. Even Sora's parents were whooping and hollering with the rest of the crowd. Axel was green with envy that Riku managed to perform with dark firaga flames and Isa himself had his arms crossed as he watched with an impressed look on his face. Ven was a terrible cameraman as he was having so much fun he couldn't hold his gummi phone straight for more than a few seconds at a time.

Riku's heart was pounding harder than it ever had for the other performances. He didn't even feel tired as he gave the dance his all. He was so exhilarated he had to take extra care to keep the size of his flames in check. Everything felt like a blur as he heard his friends cheer for him over the din from the cheers of the rest of the crowd. Even as sweat leaked from underneath his headband and dripped into his eyes he was laser focused. Despite performing this dance several times already, his limbs felt featherlight and he was just having such a good time as he allowed himself to show off. He even gave a sly grin to Roxas as he noticed him filming the entire time, knowing that behind the phone he saw it and was probably blushing.

Wakka came over to the table to take away their empty plates and couldn't help noticing how zoomed in Roxas was on Riku, but he said nothing, only grinning at Roxas who caught him staring and frowned with mild embarrassment as he moved his arms so he could grab their plates. _Somebody's got a crush~_ the redhead snickered to himself.

At last, it was time for the finale! The other four dancers went to the front of the stage and simultaneously breathed large balls of fire into the air, earning a large cry of amazement from the audience while Riku stood back and applauded them with the rest of the drummers. Finally, everybody lined up and took a bow to a standing ovation before walking off-stage.

"That was fantastic!" Ven cheered.

Wakka smiled at all of them. "He should be on break now, ya? Would you all like to go see him?" he asked.

"Definitely!" Xion stood up happily. "Thank you so much for everything, Wakka!"

"Eyyyyyyyy, any friends of Riku's are friends of mine, ya? Come on, I'll lead you back there!"

Since there were so many of them, Riku couldn't exactly meet them backstage, rather they gathered around the shade of a cherry blossom tree and exchanged handshakes and fist bumps since the poor teen was still covered in so much sweat and salve to protect him from the flames.

"I'm so proud of you, Riku!" Sora's mom praised. "You're really giving it your all up there!"

Riku reddened happily, "Th-thank you. I'm just doing my best to keep up with the rest of them."

"The other dancers are fantastic as well. I think you're doing well!" Sora's dad smiled.

"Thank you so much, that means a lot," Riku smiled. "And thank you all for coming! It's almost time for Sora's play, isn't it?"

Xion checked her watch. "Yeah, pretty soon, but we still have plenty of time to grab some seats. Are you going to join us?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to check with the rest of the class first before I go, but I'll be right behind you," Riku nodded.

"Then we'll go on ahead," Aqua smiled. "We'll see you there."

They all took their leave, with Terra giving Riku one last proud clap on Riku's shoulder before following after them. However Riku noticed Roxas had stayed behind. "You're not going after them?"

"I'll catch up," Roxas grinned, unable to keep himself from giving Riku a long once-over as the muscular teen stood before him half-naked and practically glistening in the sunlight. 

Riku looked at him smugly, "I know I told you red is your color, but you don't have to wear it every time you see me, you know."

Roxas let out a cough as Riku caught him off guard. He was pretty sure his face WASN'T red, but if it wasn't before, it certainly was now. "Get real! I'll tell you what, though, who would have thought you'd be so good at handling sticks?"

Riku smirked, not missing a beat. "Not as good at you. I can't do one in each hand like you can."

"You mean to say you think I'm getting more action than you?" Roxas smirked back.

"Are you?" the older teen deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh...no...," the blonde blushed even harder but recovered quickly! "But maybe that's because I'm not running around half-naked on stage like you are."

Riku playfully scoffed as he took a step closer to Roxas. "Well maybe you should."

Roxas wasn't backing down. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he spat.

"Maybe, but not to the point where I'd film it like I saw you doing," the silverette called him out with an even wider smirk. "Did you get everything you wanted?" he asked in a velvety voice.

The change of tone in Riku's voice had Roxas stammering as he backpedaled. "I-I was hoping you'd fall on your face or something," he insisted. "Then I could save it for posterity. Hmph!" he huffed as he crossed his arms.

Riku could tell he was winning. "Well I didn't, so are you still going to save it?" he grinned, now showing full teeth like a cat who caught the canary.

"Aye yaaaaaaaaa!" Wakka groaned as he walked by, lugging two 24-packs of water bottles in his large arms. "Don't lead the kid on, ya? Yer barking up a taken tree, mon!" the redhead chortled as he passed.

"I-I know that!" Roxas practically flailed, now more flustered than ever. "URGH! Never mind! I'm going after the others. And you better clean up! I don't want to sit next to you if you're all sweaty!"

"So you're saving me a seat then?" Riku asked.

"Yeah yeah, I'll save you a seat," Roxas turned to stomp away. "Hurry up!"

Wakka watched the blonde stomp away and looked to Riku.

"What?" Riku asked.

"Don't think I ever heard you talk like that before, mon!"

"Only with him, and HE started it," Riku huffed as he took one of the packs of water bottles off of Wakka's stack to help him out.

"Thanks. Sora knows, ya?"

Riku smiled at seeing Wakka's concern for their friend. "Yep. Don't worry. We're just all close and have a weird sense of humor, that's all."

Wakka chortled, "I see, ya. It's nice to have friends like that. But it also sounds like trouble."

Riku laughed as he walked alongside him to return to the backstage area. "There's never a dull moment, that's for sure."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Backstage, Sora was primed and prepared for his performance. At the last moment, they decided to save the wig for the fairy godmother scene to make the transformation much more dramatic. So they spent time actually wetting and pinning down his hair to make it lie flat so it would be much easier to slide the wig cap on later, leaving him with the appearance of a short bob cut. He had his raggedy, patchy dress on already with a dark brown apron on and was furiously studying the lines he had on cheat sheets he kept hidden in the apron pockets. Meanwhile Kairi had been given a grand pink mustache and was keeping her hands stuffed in her pockets so that she could resist the urge to twirl it in her fingers. Sora on the other hand was trying to resist peeking at the crowd, to which Kairi had to discourage him multiple times.

"You can't look out there! It's unprofessional! Plus, it'll just make you nervous!" she scolded.

"I'm already nervous!" Sora grumbled.

"Aqua already texted me," Kairi consoled him. "Don't worry, Riku's out there, too!"

"I-I wasn't worried," Sora insisted as he fiddled with his crown necklace that they let him wear for the performance. If anything, the wardrobe department found it oddly fitting. They reasoned it was a nice touch for Cinderella to have a keepsake that might give her away to the evil stepmother to give her cause for locking her up in her room.

Behind them, Sora's classmates were laughing amongst themselves and having a good time as one by one they came out in their costumes. Of course the guys were all pointing and laughing at each other's boobs and copping feels on each other while the girls wolf-whistled at them and gave each of them cheesy pick-up lines. The ones playing the step sisters had the most colorful and gaudy dresses along with the most dramatic hair and makeup. The step mother was given a prim and proper dress and also given a corset but only to make the actor stand up REALLY straight and to help him keep a constant scowl on his face that was further accentuated with the frown lines the makeup department gave him along with some exaggerated plum eye shadow with green eyeliner that really made him look menacing.

Sora leaned to whisper to Kairi, "He actually looks like an evil step mother we could've run into on our travels."

"I know, right? They did a fantastic job!" Kairi snickered.

Suddenly there was a loud POP that startled everybody. One of the actors' boobs popped, earning a good scolding from the costume department as they hurried them away to inflate them a new chesticle. "Alright, everybody! Time to hurry to your places!" the teacher shouted. "Everybody make sure you have your mics plugged in and be quiet on the set!"

Everybody hurried to get into place, exchanging fist bumps for good luck as they went. It's showtime!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sora's parents and the others practically took an entire center row all by themselves and were quietly talking amongst themselves while they waited for the show to start. There was debate as to whether or not they should film with their gummi phones since they didn't want to disturb the people behind them, but apparently the photography club was already on it. They were going to be filming the performance and selling copies of the DVDs at school in a few days. With that matter settled, they were all whispering excitedly about Sora and Kairi, since none of them had seen their costumes yet. The only thing they've seen posted on their kingstagrams was them half-way dressed and halfway done with their makeup that they posted as teasers while they were getting ready all day.

"One thing I never thought I'd see in this lifetime," Axel muttered to Roxas as he scrolled through kingstragram, "Is your somebody in a corset."

Roxas snorted, "D-don't make fun of him! He's going to do great!"

Xion leaned over to whisper to Riku, "So Riku, you've seen Sora, haven't you? What's he look like with boobs?"

Isa and Axel choked on the air they were breathing and Naminé covered her mouth as she found herself overcome with a fit of giggles. Riku meanwhile closed his eyes as he fought back a blush. "As good as you could expect." He thought that was a vague enough answer, but the entire row just burst into more giggles, Sora's parents probably laughing the hardest. Their shared mirth only died down when the lights started to flash, signaling the play was about to start.

A hush fell over the audience and the lights dimmed as Selphie dressed as a mouse with an oversized red t-shirt walked onstage. "HEWWO, AUDIENCE!" she waved enthusiastically.

"Hello!" the audience answered back.

"Yousa ready to hear a reeeeeeeeeally great story? Zug zug?" she asked. The audience answered back with applause as she hopped up and down and raised her hands up to get them hyped. "HAHA! GREAT! This is a great story. A really great story. Zug zug. One-a my favorites! But first, it starts off allllllllll sad. Izza that okay? Do you want Jack-Jack to tell you the story?" She held a hand to one of the giant round ears on her head to encourage the audience to cheer again. When they did, she hopped up and down happily. "GREAT! Then let's get started, zug zug!"

The red curtain rises to show Sora standing on stage dressed in a cute periwinkle cape sitting on his knees in front of what looks like a tranquil scene. Next to him standing tall is one of the tallest girls in the class dressed as a nobleman. Behind them are two stage hands dressed entirely in black but holding multiple sticks with paper birds on them which they're holding up and puppeteering as they walked back and forth on stage while the tranquil sounds of chirping birds play over the loudspeakers.

"Ellie was a good girl. Very good girl. Luva her dear dad very much much!" Selphie as Jacque the Mouse narrated. "But Ellie's dad was lonely. Married a new lady with two little girls, he did! Then Ellie's dad died!"

The girl playing Cinderella's father suddenly gasped and clutched her chest and collapsed onto a mat that was already on the floor leaving Sora to cry out dramatically, "OH NO, DAD! HE'S DEAD!"

Suddenly two more stage hands dressed in black hurried on stage and dragged the mat with Cinderella's dad on it away while Sora was left to look on in horror and then the stepmother and step sisters walked on scene, earning shocked laughter from the audience as they stood menacingly over Cinderella.

"Ellie's step mother did not like Ellie. No no no! Not tut all. She dressed the poor girl in rags!" A cord attached to Sora's cape was suddenly YANKED, whisking the blue garment away to reveal the rags Sora was wearing underneath while a YOINK sound effect played over the speakers, earning yet another laugh from the audience. "She made her clean!" Another stage hand tossed a feather duster in front of Sora, which he picked up. "She made her cook!" This time a pot was thrown in front of him. "And made her clean the fireplace! While picking up the cinders, her mean step sisters came up with a nickname for her!"

"CINDERELLA!" the "step sisters" cackled while Sora stood with all the items that were thrown on stage.

"Day in, day out, Cinderella was forced to take care of things all by herself!"

Suddenly the backdrop literally DROPPED with a resounding thud to show the interior of a grand house with one small corner of it resembling a spooky attic.

"This sucks," Cinderella huffed as he ran back and forth with the pot and feather duster while the Step Sisters and Step Mother shouted random demands at him, the three of them having VERY deep voices that left the audience rolling while they yelled things like "Wash my bloomers!" and "GIMME MY TEA, EXTRA MILK!" and "POLISH MY BROACH!". The most hilarious demand having to be when one of them just simply yelled, "EGGS!" (Even Sora had to fight off his own laughter by biting his lip when he heard that one.)

"The only place she kept to herself was her room in the attic. The only friends she had were the birds who sang in the window and the mice she freed from the traps! One of them is me! Zug-zug!" As Jacque said this, the puppeteers with the paper birds came back, and somebody came out behind a nightstand where they made little mouse puppets dressed in cute clothes dance.

"I could think of worse company to keep!" Sora winked to the audience, earning yet another laugh.

The play continued at a pretty brisk pace, but with impressive set changes, the best so far being when the mice and birds teamed up to make Cinderella a dress to wear to the ball. The backdrop changed to make everything look HUGE and they were given props like blue beach balls for pearls and long pieces of cardboard covered in tinfoil as needles with rope attached to them as the actors and actresses now dressed in mouse and bird costumes pretended to sew fabric on the floor. The sight made Ven feel very nostalgic as he remembered how weird it felt to be that small when he visited Cinderella's world. He recalled telling Aqua and Terra all about it later, only to hear that they definitely didn't have that experience.

Finally the time came for Cinderella to tiredly come back to his room in the attic and mope. "Oh well," he moped. "Who cares about a ball anyway? I bet the prince isn't even that good-looking. I wouldn't know anybody there...and what if he asks me to dance and he has a mole on the end of his nose?" he giggled. "Who am I kidding, I'd dance with him anyway," he huffed, earning another laugh from the audience. Riku and the others snorted especially hard at that since they knew who the prince was going to be.

Suddenly the dress is revealed to Cinderella, a cute pink gown with white ribbons and poufy sleeves! Cinderella spins around happily with the dress while thanking all the little bird and mice puppets just as the light fades and the curtain drops for a quick intermission!

Backstage, everybody was scrambling to dress the step sisters in even gaudier clothes and Sora had a whole pit crew hurrying to rip the rags off of him and slip the pink dress over him. To save even more time for the big reveal later, they hurried to put the hair net on his head and put his wig on, the carefully crafted strands piled into a bun with a white ribbon piled on the top of his head. After that, some "stunt pearls" were tied around his neck; a necklace meant to be be forcefully yanked off. After making sure none of the Velcro pieces looked crooked Sora was hurried to his spot on stage, ready for the curtain to go up just as a night time garden backdrop was lowered into place.

"To the carriage, girls!" the step mother carried on. "We don't want to be late!"

"Wait! Please!" Cinderella called out from off-stage and hurried onto the scene. "I'm coming too! Do you like it? Do you think it will do?"

The step mother looked Cinderella up and down with a dramatic look of shock and disgust on her face, "Well, it's certainly...passable, I suppose. We definitely wouldn't lose you in the crowd. What do you think, girls?"

"I think it's shoddily made, mother!" the step sister dressed in pink scoffed as she walked over and ripped off one of Cinderella's puffy sleeves. "Did a bunch of mice make this for you?"

"Hey!" Cinderella cried out, offended for her mouse friends but also in shock that the sleeve ripped so easily!

"AND AREN'T THOSE MY BEADS!?" the step sister in green bellowed as he ripped them from Sora's neck. "They don't even look good on you, TRAMP!"

Together the two started tearing apart the dress until Sora was left with nothing but pink and white rags.

"Cinderella? More like Cinder-nada!" the step-sister in green cackled as they gathered the fronts of their dresses and scurried off behind the cardboard cutout of a black carriage and scampered off stage.

Cinder-Sora made to chase after them, shaking his fist and his mouth opening and closing while loud beeps echoed over the loudspeaker to insinuate he was cursing them out as they rode away. Once they were off-stage, he collapsed to the ground and suddenly the laughter died down almost immediately as his lower lip trembled and he buried his face into his hands and starting sobbing in an actual gut-wrenching performance that really threw the audience off-guard.

"It's...It's no use..." he sobbed quietly as his shoulders shook from the force of his cries. The lighting darkened with only a blue spotlight shining down on Sora while stage-left, a "stone bench" was being shoved on stage and Tidus quietly walked on-stage dressed in a periwinkle robe and cape tied up with a purple bow and covered in glitter.

Riku felt like he was suffering from emotional whiplash as Sora owned center stage, his performance captivating everybody to near tears to the point that not very many even noticed what was going on stage left. He heard a gasp to his left and glanced over to see Terra, Aqua, and Ven appearing especially moved. Terra had his fists clenched. Aqua looked like she was about to cry. Ven was looking surly with his arms crossed as he glared daggers at stage right.

Sora looked up toward the sky, "Why...why even bother? There's no point..."

"Aw come on, you don't believe that!" Tidus called out from stage left, now suddenly lit with his own spotlight.

Sora whipped his head around dramatically, "Who...who are you?"

"I'm your fairy godmother! Here to make your dreams come true!" Tidus explained, standing up and bounding over to Sora to help him off the floor.

"Really? Then can you get rid of my step mother and step sisters and help me reclaim my home?" Cinder-Sora asked hopefully.

"Uh...no," Tidus deadpanned, earning a laugh from the audience. Sora opened his mouth again and another loud beep came over the loudspeaker, earning a shocked gasp from Tidus who looked at the audience and pointed at Sora as if to ask "The nerve, amirite?" before elaborating, "But I am going to help you go to that ball!"

"Oh...great. My dream's come true," Cinder-Sora faked excitement.

"Okay! First, honey, you look a drag! We can't have you going in that!" Tidus scoffed and flicked his magical wand about to drop what looked like a large shower curtain from the sky right over Sora decorated with cardboard cut outs of glittery gold stars and crescent moons. Then a whimsical tune began to play as Tidus hopped, sang, and danced around the stage, kicking at foam pumpkins and poking at puppet mice and birds as he summoned cardboard cut-outs of horses and a carriage from off-stage followed by two actresses dressed as a coachman and footman who are obviously meant to carry the props. All the while, a pit crew snuck on stage directly behind the curtain and shoved themselves inside with Sora to hurry and get him dressed while Tidus distracted the audience as he sang with silly flare and threw glitter out of his robe pockets. "RAPPITY WOO LA FLICKIDY DO A DIPPITY DOPPITY DO!! Put them together and what do you got? Wikkity Wonkity Woo!"

Riku certainly didn't expect a song solo from Tidus and he was laughing so hard that he could feel tears forming in the corners of his eyes. From somewhere behind him, he could hear unmistakable guffawing laughter from Wakka who must've managed to get away from the café long enough to see Tidus perform. Sora's parents were beside themselves as they sat on the edges of their seats, eyes glued to the curtain that was bustling from side to side as the people hidden inside scrambled to get Sora ready for his big reveal. This was it! It's almost here!

It was MADNESS inside that curtain as two of the stagehands dressed in all black hurried to strip him of the torn dress and pulled a glittery blue gown over his head over a poufy underskirt thing that was tied around his waist to give it volume. The ribbon on his wig was yanked off and he felt the strands of hair fall down his face and land softly on his bare shoulders. Gloves were pulled over his hands and the dress was quickly zipped up behind him. One last dab of makeup was added to accentuate his chest and lipstick was carefully applied as well as a little bit of blush. The glittery white eyeshadow was applied and fake diamond earrings were clasped onto his ears and lastly he could feel somebody yanking his flats off to shove his feet into the "glass slippers" which were just normal heels covered in blue and white glitter. It was a challenge not to fall over as he was poked and prodded and yanked from side to side all the while he heard Tidus singing that ridiculous song. Finally, they were finished, and the stagehands quickly fled back behind the safety of the backdrop that had a slit cut into it for an easy exit, carrying Sora's raggedy dress pieces and stuff with them as they went. Finally, with one last "WIKKITY WONKITY WOO!" the curtain flew back up into the air!

There was a collective gasp from the audience who undoubtedly expected some kind of joke, given how humorous the rest of the costumes have been only instead to be surprised to see Sora dressed beautifully! In fact, half the audience didn't even believe it was really him! The top of the dress was fitted much tighter than the other dresses were, accentuating the curves and the delicate bust afforded to Sora thanks to the corset he was wearing. The off-shoulder sleeves hid his biceps and the long white gloves made his arms look much more slender and the wig! The shoulder length brunette wig was styled elegantly with gentle waves and delicately decorated with tiny rhinestones pinned throughout that glittered under the spotlight like drops of dew.

Riku felt his jaw drop. Same for the rest of their group. He could've sworn he could hear Sora's mom sniffling and Ven gave a small impressed whistle. The audience was then abuzz with whispers as some speculated that it was another student entirely! He even heard somebody scoff something that sounded like, "Pft, what a copout." Riku tried to ignore them, but he also couldn't blame some for being confused. After all, Sora looked so different! But there was no mistaking those blue eyes and the necklace he was wearing. That was definitely him and Riku felt his heart stop as he swore Sora glanced his way and their eyes locked for a brief moment before Sora turned his attention back to Fairy Godmother Tidus. Even then, Riku continued to feel his heart flutter rapidly in his chest as he remained transfixed on Sora. Even the way he began to move seemed different, undoubtedly because he had to be careful walking in those shoes!

"It's wonderful!" Sora spun around excitedly and lifted the dress to show off his "glass slippers" to the coachmen. "Thank you so much, fairy godmother! It really is like a dream come true!"

"Yes, but remember, you got one rule! Be sure to be outta there by midnight or POOF everything goes back to how it was before. You're back in rags and sitting on a pumpkin. Do you understand? Now hip hop, go dance, be gay, you're on your way!"

"Careful, Riku, you're drooling," Roxas whispered to Riku, earning a swift elbow in the ribs from the elder teen.

The curtain fell again and the sounds of a set change could be heard just before they started playing the sounds of trotting horses over the loudspeaker. When the curtain rose again, the backdrop had changed to that of a ballroom. The actors were all dressed as ball guests in various states of formal dress. At some point you can tell that they ran out of period-accurate costumes for all the girls so they were dressed in formal military garb or tuxes. The step mother and step sisters were amongst them on stage left and in the center of the group stood the prince dressed in extremely formal white military garb with gold accessories, a small crown perched on her head, and a glittering rapier at her hip. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail and her mustache was brilliant! The high-waisted pants made her look so tall and of course, the knee-high stilted boots helped! She stood tall and straight and with her shoulders as square as possible, filling the role of a proper prince wonderfully as she formally bowed to all the "ladies" who showed up one by one to greet her.

Riku grinned broadly, the audience giving an excited clap as the prince gave a long sweeping bow as if to introduce herself like "Yup, it's me!"

Then the step-sisters were up, curtsying low to the ground as they practically groveled at the prince's feet, clearly thirsty for a dance with him. Kairi took a few steps back as the step-sisters inched closer and made kissy faces at her, the audience erupting in even more laughter as Kairi made it look like she wanted nothing more than to hide from the gaudily-dressed sisters, all while their mother was smiling widely from the side as if their behavior was actually more than acceptable.

But then everything comes to a dead stop as the spot light shows on Sora who enters from stage right! The waltz music starts as Kairi makes a beeline for Sora, past the step sisters, past the fuming step mother, and past the other guests to bow before Cinderella. Sora quickly curtsied as best as he could and took Kairi's hand and together they began to waltz together. The other actors and actresses paired up and the light began to dim as they all danced until the only light left was the light shining on Sora and Kairi while the rest of them quietly left the stage, leaving just the two of them dancing.

Sora and Kairi locked gazes as they tried their best to convey the love forming between Cinderella and her Prince. Kairi took the lead perfectly as she spun Sora around gently, allowing the dress to flow out perfectly and when they rejoined, it was slow and careful so neither would lose their footing in their taller shoes and so as not to slip in all the glitter on the floor that kicked up in little clouds as they danced and spun. As annoying as all the glitter was, it did make everything look dreamy as it swirled around them. After a couple of laps around the stage, the clock struck midnight over the loudspeaker with a startling and resounding chime of a bell.

"Oh no, it's midnight!" Sora cried out. "I must go!"

"Wait! I don't even know your name, how will I find you?" Kairi asked as Sora fled from her and left one of his shoes behind. "WAIT, PLEASE WAIT!" she shouted as she scooped the shoe up. "COME BACK, THIS LOOKS EXPENSIVE! DON'T YOU NEED IT!?" she called after Sora, the audience erupting with laughter as both of them ran off stage.

The curtain dropped once more and Jacque the mouse came back on stage. "Whoo! That was rough-rough! Our Cinderelly managed to make it home with only one glass slippy to remember the night. But she was so happy. So happy that the mean lady got real spishus! She angry that her daughters didn't get a chance to dance with the prince who spend all night with a girl they couldn't see! All dey knew was she looked really pretty and had a silver necklace. Not much to go on. Not tut tall," Selphie shook her head. "But den, the king made an order! All ladies in the kingdom try on glass slipper! If ta foots fits, da prince marry! Zug zug."

The play escalated quickly with the step mother being even more cruel to Cinderella in an attempt to drive her to exhaustion. But despite this, Cinderella kept a smile glued on her face, much to the step mother and step sisters' growing irritation until finally the step-mother grew tired of it and locked Cinderella in the attic the day the footman with the glass slipper was meant to arrive.

"NO!!" Sora pounded on the door and fell to his knees crying as it was no use. "Why!? Why are you doing this? Please! Let me out!"

"You were just way too happy, it was making me sick!" the stepmother scoffed. "Also, I know that was you at the ball. Next time, get a necklace that matches!"

"You're just jealous of my bling!" Cinder-Sora spat back, earning a snort from a few people in the audience as he continued to pound at the door. "JEALOUS, I SAY!"

The mice and bird-costumed actors and actresses had one last hurrah as they scrambled to retrieve the key to the door for Cinderella and save the day. Cinderella triumphantly shows up to try on the slipper only for the step mother to trip the actress carrying it who landed safely on a mat. But when the slipper fell to the floor, the stepmother took her cane and smashed it to hell. "Oh no! What a pity! The slipper broke!"

The actress playing the foot man stood up and more bleeps came over the loudspeaker as she "shouted" at the step mother, leaving the audience in uproarious laughter until Cinder-Sora finally revealed he had the other slipper. The curtain fell and when it rose again, Cinderella united with her prince and the entire cast gave a bow to a standing ovation with Sora back in the ballgown and wig so everybody could take pictures before the curtain fell one last time.

Once the lights came back on, people began filing out quickly, but those who wanted to see the actors stayed seated until they came back out from the stage so their friends and loved ones could take pictures with them. Riku and the others waited excitedly for Kairi and Sora to come out and once they did, they were rushed by all their friends who gave them many congratulations on a job well done.

Sora's mom was in full-blown tears as she kissed both of Sora's cheeks, "You were so wonderful!"

"Mom! You're embarrassing me!" Sora giggled though he was just as emotional at hearing everybody's words of praise.

Out of the crowd, Kairi's mom and dad showed up too to congratulate their daughter. More introductions were quickly made as the mayor and his wife introduced themselves and the group did the same in kind.

"This is fun and all," Sora groaned. "But can we hurry up with the pictures? My feet really hurt."

"When did you become such a diva?" Roxas chortled.

"I'm in a corset, leave me alone! I'll be as bitchy as I want!" Sora seethed.

"Cinderella wouldn't curse!" Ven scolded.

Sora bit his bottom lip to keep himself from retaliating. Instead he looked up with watery eyes and apologized in his sweetest and softest princess voice, "I'm sorry."

"Okay, that's enough," Kairi laughed. "We really should hurry so we can take these costumes off."

"Let's take the pictures next to the cherry blossoms!" Sora's mom insisted.

"YES! They'll look absolutely beautiful!" Kairi's mom agreed, her eyes sparkling.

Everybody quickly went outside, eyes blinking to adjust to the brightness outdoors. They made quick work of finding a couple of trees to pose next to, most of the people that were standing underneath them politely moving aside so they could take pictures. Once Sora and Kairi started posing together, they were spotted by the photography club who wanted in on the action too! Before they knew it, it was a full-on photo shoot and they were garnering more and more attention with every shot.

"Riku, you should be in these pictures too!" Sora's dad said cheerfully.

"Wait, me too?" Riku blinked.

"Yeah, you're still wearing your costume, right? Hurry up and get in there with them. I want some pictures of the three of you!"

"Oh, uh, okay," Riku blushed but he quickly removed his sweat pants and sweat shirt to reveal his costume hidden underneath. He felt really out of place as he posed between Kairi and Sora but he quickly got over it as Roxas reasoned people have probably been taking pictures of him all day already so there was no point in being embarrassed now.

After they all got pictures of the three of them, Sora's mom insisted that they get pictures of just Sora and Riku, specifically with Riku posing to put the slipper on Sora since they got enough pictures of Kairi doing it already.

"Mommmmmmm, he doesn't wanna do that!" Sora whined.

"Let me have this!" Sora's mom scolded.

"Fiiiiiiiiiine!"

"I don't mind, really!" Riku grinned as he playfully lifted Sora's skirt to reveal a little extra stocking while he put on Sora's slipper. As he did so, high-pitched screams could be heard all around them as several of girls from the "soriku fan club" lost their minds!

"What the devil?" Kairi's dad asked.

"Ah, youth," Kairi's mom sighed wistfully.

After that, even more people were gathering, specifically guys. They saw Riku getting lots of pictures with the cute girl playing Cinderella and were wondering if they could get a picture too. Before Sora knew it, the photography club was actually offering to sell PRINTS of anybody who wanted to pose with him and/or Kairi before he could even protest!

The Wayfinder trio and the Twilight Town Gang almost got swept away in the picture-taking frenzy. But all of them got a chance to take pictures with Sora, Kairi, and Riku before the photography club began fussing over Sora and Kairi obsessively as people lined up to take pictures with them. It didn't seem so bad, until they began overhearing how people suddenly realized it was actually Sora the whole time when they got closer and then stomped off as if in disgust, but mostly with themselves, to be fair.

"Uh...I guess not everybody knows what drag means?" Ven offered nervously.

"I don't think they even knew the play WAS in drag. They probably just all thought they were getting a picture with a cute girl," Roxas scoffed.

"Aw, but I am cute, aren't I?" Sora blinked innocently.

"Yeah, you are pretty cute," Roxas snickered. "But I dunno if you'd pass for a girl. Nobody could possibly--"

"Hello, miss! May I take a picture with you?" a senior student asked.

Riku and Sora had a twin double-take! It was the captain of the track team!

"W-with me?" Sora asked in a small voice.

"Hey, I don't think you should--" Riku tried to step in, but the captain shot him a scowl.

"Hey, I didn't ask YOU. You had your turn," the captain hissed as he slid an arm around Sora's shoulders to pose for the picture. "Don't be scared, cutie. Now smile!"

Sora finally unfroze and shoved the teen away mid-photo. "No way! Don't touch me!"

The older teen stumbled as he was shoved away, surprised by the girl's strength until he realized, "WAIT, YOU'RE NOT A CHICK!"

"Oh well-spotted, Captain!" Sora scoffed as he backed away from him.

"Wait, that voice...is that you, Sora?"

"Well for the moment, I'm Cinderella. But yes, it's me!" Sora stuck his tongue out.

The teen looked to the others who were starting to crowd around Sora protectively. "Figures. Whatever," he grumbled before walking away.

After that, the group decided it was probably best to walk Sora and Kairi inside so they can change out of their costumes without getting hounded by anybody else.

"Do they always cause this much of a stir?" Axel mused to Sora's mom.

"Those three have always been lively. This doesn't surprise me at all," Sora's mom snickered while Sora's dad smiled helplessly.

After the three got out of costume and were back in their casual clothes, the whole group spent the rest of the festival checking out the stalls that were still open. By the time the sun started going down, they had eaten themselves silly and were already letting out loud yawns so they decided now was probably a good time to start saying their good-byes. Lots of hugs and handshakes were exchanged with Naminé whispering to Sora that she'd be back tomorrow. The Wayfinder Trio were the first to leave, quickly disappearing into the leaving crowd to head for the warp sphere they had found nearby. The Twilight Town gang followed after, only they walked behind a dense group of trees to quickly leave via darkness corridor. Then lastly, Kairi left with her parents while Sora and Riku walked home with Sora's parents.

As they walked home together, Sora chattered excitedly about the play, still full of nervous energy as he attempted to wipe the glitter off his face. "But yeah, I hope I'll get a chance to see you dance tomorrow, Riku!" he grinned.

"That'd be great!" Riku smiled. "I just hope there's still enough food left to sell tomorrow otherwise it won't be much of a café, will it?"

When they arrived at Sora's house, Sora's parents went inside first, leaving the two alone for a moment. Before saying good-bye, Sora held Riku's hand and looked up at him fondly as the reds of the setting sun lit his silver hair with a soft orange glow. "I'm...I'm glad you were there. And thank you again...for earlier."

"You were beautiful," Riku returned the soft smile with an adoring look as he gently cupped Sora's still-glittery cheek. "I couldn't take my eyes off of you," he whispered.

Sora felt his body trembling at how softly he said those words. "Riku..."

Riku grazed a thumb over Sora's lower lip with a featherlight touch before gently cupping his chin with an index finger and leaning down to give him a kiss.

Sora closed his eyes as he melted beneath Riku's lips. They tasted slightly salty and he couldn't resist running his tongue over them to taste them again and Riku's tongue met his in kind. The two shyly deepened their kiss, considering where they are, but neither could resist pulling each other closer as they held each other, both sighing happily as they kissed with the same enjoyment as one would have with a drink of cool water after a long, hot day.

Behind them, they heard a car drive by and it startled them out of their kiss, both their faces flushed as they realized how carried away they had gotten. The two shared a small laugh and wordlessly exchanged one more quick kiss before attempting to pull away, only to find they couldn't separate because somehow their hands had clasped together. "So uh...I'll see you tomorrow?" Sora chuckled.

"Yeah, tomorrow," Riku grinned, though he wasn't ready to let go yet.

"So...good night?" Sora tilted his head with a questioning smile.

"Good night," Riku said it back, but he still wasn't letting go.

"You going to let go?" the brunette laughed.

"Are you?" the silverette retorted.

"Rikuuuuuuu!"

"Soraaaaaaa!"

"Alright, on the count of three, we let go, okay?"

"Okay."

"One."

"Two."

"Three," Sora finished the count, and they both let go, but neither looked eager to leave. "Okay, I'm going inside now. Will you be okay walking home?"

"Psh, I'll be fine. Will you be okay walking to your door?"

"PFFT! Good night, wise guy!" Sora stuck his tongue out as he started walking backwards for his front door with a little wave at Riku.

"Good night, cutie!" Riku snickered as he waved back before walking home.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

As the evening took over, Sora found himself agonizing over what to do. Now that he had showered and allowed himself to unwind after the day's events, his mind began to mull over what happened that morning with his uncle. As he sat on his bed, he grabbed his pillow and hugged it to his chest. What should he do? If his uncle really is gambling again, he might lose a large sum of money and come to his father again to beg for money as he always does. Should he tell his father? As far as he knows, they managed to chase him off the campus this time, but what if he's back tomorrow? Maybe if he told his dad, he'd be able to stop him?

He thought back to how his uncle bullied him in the past as a young child. How he'd torment him to the point of tears behind his parents' backs until he ran crying to his dad. It was so confusing to have somebody who looked so much like the father he adored treat him that way. Whenever he did cry, his uncle would insist that he was just being a big baby and that he didn't do anything at all, insisting that Sora just thought he was scary for no reason. He'd even go as far as to insinuate that Sora's parents did a bad job of raising him because he was turning out to be a spoiled pansy. Just remembering it made the brunette seethe with anger, hands trembling as he gripped the pillow so hard he could hear the fabric threatening to tear under his fingers.

He deflated as he recalled what happened whenever he did try to tell his dad what was going on. Sure, his uncle's visits were rare but he never missed an opportunity to make Sora feel like dirt. Whenever he did tell his dad, his doting father did take his side, but it would end up in a fight between the two brothers. There would be shouting and shoving and it scared Sora to see it. But what made him feel even worse was how sad his dad looked when it was all over and he felt like it was all his fault. He hated seeing his dad so sad so he stopped telling him about it altogether and shouldered the verbal abuse until he learned how to do it without crying. Sure he'd be plenty upset afterwards, but what mattered is that he didn't give his uncle the satisfaction of seeing how hurt he really was. He hadn't seen the man in two years, though, so hearing his own family member, even if it was his awful uncle, insinuate that he didn't care if he lived or died really hurt in a way he didn't expect.

Finally, he decided he shouldn't keep this to himself. Not this time. With one last deep breath to steel himself, he quietly left his bedroom, still clutching his pillow as he tiredly padded over to his parent's room just down the short hallway. The cold hardwood floor felt amazing on his sore feet and he relished it as he slowly walked so as not to make the floorboards creak. Finally, he hovered a fist above the door to knock only to catch his parents still talking. He stilled his fist so as not to interrupt and listened for an opening, only for his heart to stop as he heard them say his name.

"Today was so much fun!" Sora's mom giggled, a smile clearly in her voice as Sora could hear her fluffing the pillows to get ready for bed.

"It really was. I feel like we haven't seen those kids smile this much in ages," his dad mused.

"Isn't it wonderful? It's like we finally have our happy boy back!"

Sora gasped and swallowed hard around the lump that suddenly grew in his throat. His body shook as he carefully retreated from the door.

"I know! And he's finally sleeping through the night again! I was so worried for a while. I feel like we can relax again."

Sora felt the tears welling up in his eyes and desperately bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from letting out a sob as he quickly spun on his heel and sprinted as quietly as possible back to his room and closed the door behind him. There's no way he can tell them now! He could never bring himself to wipe those smiles off their faces.

He finally let the tears escape his eyes as he tiredly wandered over to the bed and threw his pillow down on top of it before flopping onto the mattress with a long sigh before burying his face in said pillow. "I can't do it, I just can't..." he muttered into the pillow, the soft cushion muffling the sobs he desperately tried to hold back. His cries died down as exhaustion crept in and he sniffled as he remembered what Donald told him. "This ship runs on happy faces...So no frowning...okay?" he told himself as he turned off the bedside lamp and wiped the tears away before rolling over and finally allowing the embrace of sleep to claim him.


	50. Spring Festival: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale to the spring festival is under way!

When Riku awoke early this morning, he felt so sore he decided to take a quick hot shower to relieve some of the ache in his muscles. When he finished, he did feel a lot better, but the time had passed for him to consider going back to sleep for an extra snooze so he decided to go ahead and get ready. Since most of the setup work was done yesterday, they didn't have to walk to school at four in the morning, but they still had to go in just early enough to prep for other things. There was still plenty of time before he even had to THINK about getting ready to go, so he was surprised to receive a text from Sora saying he was on his way while he was towel-drying his hair.

"That can't be..." he groaned, voice still froggy as he grabbed his glasses off the night stand so he could read the text properly. "What's he doing up this early?" Before he could even send a reply back, however, he heard a knock on the door downstairs. "Okay, then."

Sora hoped the tiredness didn't show on his face as he waited for Riku to answer the door. No matter what, he was determined to enjoy the last day of the festival with his friends and he knew nothing would cheer him up more than to spend a little extra time with the one he loved most. When said light of his life opened the door he didn't expect the treat he received of seeing Riku not only with bright blue eyes and shirtless, but wearing his glasses as well! His tired brain immediately malfunctioned and he wouldn't have been surprised if he drooled a little, the only thing snapping him out of his temporarily dumb state was the sound of Riku's voice calling out to him.

"Helloooo? You gonna come in or what?" Riku asked a little impatiently as he stepped aside in the door frame so Sora could enter.

"Oh yeah, sorry!" the brunette chuckled sheepishly as he entered and kicked off his shoes. "Good morning, handsome!"

"Morning, beautiful," Riku grinned and pulled Sora close to him by his waist so he could greet him properly with a kiss. "What's got you up so early?"

"Nothing, really," Sora smiled as he returned the kiss. "Just wanted to see you."

"Oh really?" the elder teen chuckled as he gave him an extra kiss on the tip of his nose. "Sounds as good enough a reason as any. Did you eat breakfast yet?" he asked as he walked back towards the kitchen.

"Not yet. I was thinking of saving room for some of the festival food," he explained. "Besides, if I eat too much, I feel queasy when I wear the corset."

"Ah, makes sense," Riku nodded as he opened the fridge and grabbed a carton of orange juice. "Want any?" he was about to ask, but when he turned to look at Sora in the better lighting, he noticed how puffy the brunette's eyes were. "You okay? Your eyes are red."

"Huh? Oh! I'm fine, I just think I had a reaction to the makeup," Sora fibbed as he rubbed his left eye a little with his index finger.

Riku wasn't entirely buying it. It didn't help that he felt some defenses were in place around Sora's side of their connection. But if Sora didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to push. "Well, they do look a little bloodshot. I got something that might help. Go lie down on the couch for a second."

"Aw, you don't have--"

"Yes, I do. We can't have Cinderella looking puffy for her prince, now can we?" Riku grinned and swat Sora playfully on the butt to get him moving. "Go on."

"YEEP! Okay, okay!" Sora laughed and did as he was told. As soon as he got comfortable on the couch, something cold and wet landed on his face, surprising him a little.

"Just leave that over your eyes for a couple of minutes while I grab something to eat," Riku ordered.

"Fiiiiiiiiine," Sora giggled as he positioned the wet towel a little better over his eyes. He could already feel the cool water having an effect on his sore eyes as he sank further into the soft couch. While he laid there, he couldn't help grinning to himself about the whole thing. Riku has just gotten so used to taking care of him that it must be second nature at this point. But they both have gotten better at giving each other a little space too. So what's it going to be like when they finally start living together permanently? Whenever he tried to imagine it, his heart flutters and his face heats up, just like it's doing now underneath the cool towel. So far, the two of them haven't really experienced what most might call a normal domestic life together, so even now it's a little hard to imagine. Sure they've woken up together, shared meals together, traveled, shared a sink, but it's been a far cry from things like deciding on household chores, going grocery shopping, or anything like that. As silly as it sounded...he found he actually couldn't wait for that day when they WOULD experience that together. Exploring other worlds is great and all...but with Riku, even sitting on a couch together is nice. To think one day they might actually sit on THEIR OWN couch in THEIR OWN house TOGETHER...it was enough to make him giddy.

"What's that smile for?" Sora heard Riku ask just before the wash cloth was lifted off his face.

"Nothing," Sora lied, grinning as he looked up at the handsome teen hovering over him. "Just thinking how cute you look in your glasses."

Riku smiled fondly, a slight blush dusting his cheeks as he bent over the end of the couch to plant a soft kiss on Sora's forehead. "Your eyes still look a little bloodshot," he noted as he gently stroked the sides of Sora's face with his thumbs. "I brought you some eye drops."

"Eye drops?" Sora's face fell. "I've never been able to put those in!"

"I know!" Riku laughed. "That's why I'm going to help you. Just keep your eyes open and I'll do the rest."

"I'm gonna blink, I know it!" the brunette whined.

"You'll feel better, I promise!" Riku assured him. "Now open up!"

Sora did as he was told and did his best to pry his eyelids open but it felt like a losing battle as they still seemed to escape his fingers and squint closed no matter how hard he tried. Even so, Riku waited patiently while he forced himself to relax and finally managed to keep them open. Then, just when he was about to say he was ready, he felt the cool drops land into his eyes in what felt like a flash as Riku quickly squeezed them from the bottle. He was so quick that Sora didn't even realize he had the bottle ready to go! After he put them in, his vision was blurry and he blinked rapidly until Riku slowly came into focus. It felt strange, but Riku was right! His eyes did feel a lot better!

"So?" Riku asked as he watched Sora blink cutely.

"They feel great! Thank you, Riku!" Sora smiled gratefully.

"Glad to hear it," the silverette smiled and ruffled Sora's hair affectionately before standing up. "I'm going to get dressed."

"Wait!" Sora quickly sat up and grabbed his wrist. "Let me do something for you, too!"

Riku faltered. "Like what?"

Sora felt his face reddening, "Um...well...you must be sore from dancing right? How about I rub your shoulders?"

Riku put a hand on his hip as he studied Sora's cheerful face and considered the consequences for agreeing. However, he couldn't see a flaw in Sora's logic so he smiled helplessly and took a seat on the couch, to which the younger teen chuckled happily before jumping behind the couch so he could lean over and rub Riku's shoulders properly. In almost no time at all, Riku felt himself melting beneath Sora's hands as he rubbed away the knots in his shoulders with surprising skill. In fact, he was almost worried about falling asleep again as he hummed contently beneath his soothing ministrations. But even as relaxing as this was, he could feel something a little forceful coming from Sora's hands as he worked his shoulders. It felt good, but Riku could sense frustration coming from the other teen. "So..." he lazily tilted his head back against the couch to look up at Sora. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you or not?"

Sora's hands paused. "I..." he started but bit his lower lip to keep from spilling his guts. Instead he deflated and leaned further down so he could wrap his arms around Riku and bury his face in his neck and shoulder.

"What is it?" Riku asked gently as he reached a hand up to run a hand through his hair.

Sora shook his head minutely, nuzzling into the warmth of Riku's neck. "I don't want to make anybody sad," he whispered.

"Sora..." Riku turned his head to kiss Sora's cheek before grabbing one of his hands to tug and gently urge him to come back and sit on the couch with him.

The younger teen sighed, but complied, holding Riku's hand even as he came back around the couch and let the taller teen guide him into his lap. Once there, he draped his arms around Riku once more and rested against his chest while the other's strong arms snaked themselves around his waist. In his arms, Sora could feel himself vibrating as he reveled in how safe and loved he felt when Riku held him like this. It was almost too much for him to take! He felt like he was melting but he also felt like he was going to explode with happiness as his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Once he felt Riku bury his face in his hair, it was all over. As much as he didn't want to discuss what kept him up last night, he made a promise to Riku and he knew it'd only make them both feel worse if he didn't tell him. "Long story short, my uncle was at the festival yesterday," he began.

"Uncle? The one you don't like?" Riku asked quietly.

"That's the one," Sora gave a small smile, happy that Riku instantly knew who he was talking about, even though he never told him all that much about him. "He caused a scene and...Terra had to step in."

"I see..."

Sora felt Riku's grip tightening around him and leaned his head up to nuzzle against his cheek. "I'm just afraid he's going to come back again today," he explained. "I haven't told my parents or anything."

"Hm," Riku hummed thoughtfully. "Well, whatever happens. Just remember that none of it is your fault. You're not responsible for anything your uncle does."

Sora clenched his fingers and furrowed his brow as he considered what Riku just said. He's right. Nothing his uncle does has anything to do with him. It's not up to him to worry about anything he does unless it directly impacts him. It made him feel a little better. "Thanks, Riku."

The elder teen smiled and kissed his temple. "Any time. Now we really do need to get ready."

"Can't we just play hooky?" Sora whined.

"No, you need to go to the ball, Cinderella~"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Don't let her out of your sight and no funny business. Am I clear?" Isa stared down Vanitas just as he and Naminé were getting ready to leave for the festival.

"Clear as mud," Vanitas frowned. "What does funny business mean?"

"Don't worry about it!" Axel interrupted with a grin at Naminé. "You two have fun and just stay out of trouble."

"Uh..."

"We'll be careful!" Naminé assured them both with a smile before grabbing Vanitas's arm. "Come on, we should get there early!"

As soon as Vanitas and Naminé left, Roxas and Xion stepped out of Roxas's room. "They gone yet?" Roxas asked.

"Yup!" Axel smirked. "You going after them?"

"The thought crossed my mind, yeah," Roxas smirked back.

"There's still food I want to try!" Xion added.

"Yeah, it's totally about the food," the blonde rolled his eyes playfully.

"Oh fine, I'm worried about Vani, too!" Xion huffed as she crossed her arms. "Like it or not, he looks like Sora. He might run into trouble."

"That's true. We just want to look out for him," Roxas nodded.

"You sure it's not because you want to spy on them?" Isa smirked knowingly.

"No! I mean...maybe. But that's secondary!" the teen snickered.

"Or maybe a close third. I think food is secondary," Xion giggled.

"Either way, you two ALSO stay out of trouble. Same rules apply to you," Axel wagged a finger. "Got it memorized?"

"Right!" both straightened obediently.

Back outside, Vanitas had summoned the corridor of darkness to take him and Naminé to Destiny Islands. She had told him of the spot they used last time that would get them closest to the school without being seen, so he followed her advice. He tried his best to dress normally for the occasion with an oversized red and black flannel shirt, black jeans, and boots but it was a stark contrast to Naminé who wore a knee-length white summer dress paired with a blue jean jacket. But he had no complaints. He thought she looked like spring time itself. Just the thought made the beginnings of a smile tug on the corners of his lips but before he could even say anything, she turned to look at him and he felt like he had been caught staring so he quickly averted his eyes. Even then, he could feel her smiling at him. "You look nice, Vani!"

"Y-you do, too," he managed to say, earning a shy thank you from the blonde just before she slipped her hand around his. Without even thinking, his hand closed around hers before he even realized what she was doing. Once he did, he snapped his head back around to look at her questioningly, only to see her nodding towards the crowd that had already gathered in the school yard. So it's true...she's just as nervous as he is. "Is there...somewhere you wanted to go first?" he asked quietly.

She instantly brightened and began leading the way. "Have you ever tried takoyaki?"

After Naminé dragged Vanitas to the food stands, Roxas and Xion arrived. They were just far enough behind that they could make out the other pair disappearing into the crowd.

"Oh good, so we haven't lost them yet," Roxas grinned.

"Well, I'll give Vani credit. He's gone more than five minutes without getting himself in trouble," Xion giggled.

"Hey, we can give the guy a LITTLE credit. He's been taking on all those part time jobs without any trouble," Roxas defended as they exited the bushes.

"Yeah, I'll give him that. But I heard he still scares a lot of people."

"Hey, these things take time. Remember how shy you were in school?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Xion admitted.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sora, Kairi, and Riku had a little time to hang out together before they were expected at their areas. Riku's class decided the two dancing groups should split the time spent performing in halves so that they could all have time to enjoy the festival. This gave him a chance to hang out with Sora and Kairi after their play is over. As the trio walked around and found a few things to eat, they heard a lot of excited commotion from the other visitors about the fire café, but even more so about Cinderella. It seemed everywhere they walked they heard people talking about how they couldn't wait to see it and how some were even coming to see it a second time. Even as they nibbled on their fried food next to their favorite tree they heard groups of people discussing amongst themselves about how pretty Cinderella is and how dashing the prince looked, causing both younger teens to nearly choke on the food they were eating while Riku struggled to keep his laughter down to a minimum.

"Do they not realize we're sitting right here?" Sora muttered.

"Didn't you learn from yesterday?" Kairi sighed. "Clearly we're not as recognizable with our makeup on as we originally thought."

"It's kind of cool that way, though...isn't it?" Riku pointed out. "It's like you have secret identities."

"We already DO have secret identities," Sora laughed.

"Not really. You still go by your real names even outside of this world," Riku snickered.

"That's true," Kairi giggled.

"Anyway, it sounds like people are excited. I wonder if the audience will be even bigger than yesterday's?" Sora pondered.

"Could be," Riku shrugged. "You should all be very proud of yourselves."

"You too, Riku!" Kairi grinned. "Hopefully we'll get to see you dance today."

"Just try not to drool on the table," the silverette grinned over at Sora whose face was already starting to redden.

"I make no promises," Sora retorted.

Riku chuckled as he checked the time on his gummi phone. "I better get going. When you guys want to watch, just ask Wakka. I told him to save a seat for you."

"Aw, thanks!" Kairi beamed.

"Great! Looking forward to it!" Sora gave Riku a high-five and Kairi followed suit. "We'll see you up there soon!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Xion and Roxas were tailing Vanitas and Naminé for a while only to lose them when Xion found a giant pretzel stand she really wanted to try.

"You just HAD to have your pretzels, didn't you?" Roxas playfully jabbed her in the side, even as he nibbled on his shared half.

"It looked yummy! I couldn't help it!" Xion whined as she bit into hers. Unfortunately the pretzels weren't that special and way too over-salted, so she couldn't even say it was worth it. "I'm sure we'll find them again. I don't think they'll be too hard to find in this crowd, right?"

"To be honest, I'm not so sure about that. They don't exactly stand out like Isa and Axel do," Roxas observed as his eyes scanned the crowd. "You know, I feel like we're forgetting something."

"Like what?" Xion blinked.

"Those two could end up running into Sora and the others, right? Does Kairi know about Vanitas?"

Xion's eyes widened with realization, "I don't think she does!"

Roxas facepalmed, "That could be awkward. At least we know for sure that Sora's parents aren't here today."

"Well we knew that, right? That's why we're here, remember? To rescue him if people mistake him for Sora?" Xion pointed out.

"Oh yeah!" Roxas grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Wait, were you really here to spy on them!?" the raven-haired teen gasped.

"I had good intentions at the start, I swear!" the blonde insisted!

"Oh, so now you're going to pretend you don't know who I am!?"

The two heard a voice shouting over the crowd. Roxas turned towards the commotion, "You don't suppose...?"

"Bet you the next round of snacks it is!" Xion finished for him before the two nodded and hurried over towards the source of the shouting.

"Please, leave us alone! He's not who you think he is!" Naminé pleaded to a tall man with brown hair who was currently wagging a finger in Vanitas's face. He appeared to be very angry, judging by the vein bulging out of his forehead and the redness in his face.

"Bullshit!" the man continued on his tirade, startling the young blonde as he elevated his voice even further.

"That's enough," Vanitas replied icily as he stood between the man and Naminé. "We have no business with you."

"You think you can fool me with those stupid contacts!? I know you're Sora!"

"What do you even want with Sora?" Naminé asked, fearing for their friend if such an angry man was looking for him.

"Back off!" Roxas finally stepped in, parting through the crowd that had begun to stop and stare. "You should go!"

The man glared at Roxas only to do a double-take. "Do I know you from somewhere?" He then rubbed his forehead. "I really need to stop drinking. Everybody's starting to look like that little brat!"

The four teens did a long blink. They then turned to look at each other before quietly walking away, ignoring the man that ranted and raved at their backs until they heard him being escorted away by another bystander.

After they were a fair distance away, Vanitas gave Roxas and Xion a long side glance. "When did you two get here?"

"Eh-heh, a little after you two did. We decided we wanted to see the play one more time," Roxas insisted.

Vanitas stopped walking as did the other three and he gave Roxas a hard stare before smirking, "You're a terrible liar."

"We just wanted to make sure you two would be okay, Vani," Xion spoke up while sheepishly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Vanitas raised an eyebrow but then heard Naminé giggling next to him, her arm looped around his. His smirk then softened into the smallest of smiles before he sighed and asked, "So this is the part where I show gratitude for your concern, right?"

"Welllllllll, you don't _have_ to, but..." Roxas grinned.

"Fine, then I won't," Vanitas deadpanned with a mischievous smile before he started walking again.

"Wise guy," Roxas grumbled as he and Xion hurried to catch up with him and Naminé. "So where are you two headed next?"

"Wherever Naminé wants to go," Vanitas said simply.

Naminé felt her cheeks get slightly warm. "Well, we could see Riku's performance at the fire dancing café before we go to the play? The food there is pretty good, too," she suggested, unsure how Vanitas would feel about being in Riku's proximity, but she didn't want to make assumptions, either.

"Hm," Vanitas considered it. Fire dancing did seem like a fun spectacle to watch, and if Riku's actually doing the performing, it's not like he'd leap off the stage and come after him or anything, right? Not that he was afraid of Riku. Nope. In fact, he was now more determined to watch just to show how unafraid he is! "Let's check it out."

"Naminé?" the group heard Kairi's voice to their left and all heads swiveled in her direction. Standing next to her was--

"Sora!" Roxas and Xion waved!

"Vanitas!?" Kairi gasped.

"Kairi!" Naminé flinched.

"Everyone!" Sora greeted cheerfully, earning a collective groan from the entire group, especially Vanitas who facepalmed especially hard. "What?"

"What do you mean "What?"!?" Kairi shouted. "What's HE doing here?"

"I have a name, you know!" Vanitas spat but then bit his own tongue when he felt Naminé squeeze his hand rather hard.

"Long story!" Sora dodged. "Just don't tell Ven or the world might end."

"What a terrible way to sum up the situation!" Roxas also facepalmed.

"But it's accurate, I'll give him that," Xion giggled nervously.

"And it rhymed!" Naminé pointed out, earning an appreciative chuckle from Sora.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Vanitas grumbled, earning a frown from Naminé who he couldn't help but smile at. "You're cute, though," he said in a voice that only she could hear, making her frown turn into a pout as she began to blush.

"Vaniiiiiii," she scolded before shaking her head and turning back to Sora and Kairi. "Anyway, are you on your way to see Riku, too?"

"Good guess!" Sora beamed. "How about we all go together?"

"Sounds like a great idea!" they heard an unfamiliar voice call out to them, one that made the hairs on Vanitas's neck stand on end. He's had enough surprise greetings from strangers for one day.

It was Riku's parents! The two had spotted Sora and Kairi in the crowd and came over to greet them, only to see them surrounded by so many friends that looked very similar to each other for some reason. Riku's mom was especially curious about the similarities between the boys to Sora and all the girls to Kairi, but kept a polite smile on her face as her husband did all the talking. The tall, muscular male greeted Sora with a firm nod before the two exchanged grins.

"Did you guys just get back?" Sora asked. "I don't think Riku expected you to come!"

"We just made it! Hoping to surprise him!" Riku's dad explained. "Think we made it in time?"

"If we hurry now, we should make it to his last dance!" Kairi explained. "Let's go so we don't lose our table!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Riku was "backstage" for one last breather before his last dance. So far he hadn't seen Sora, Kairi, or any of the others, but he had a feeling they'd show up for the last set. "Leave it to them to show up at the last minute," he chuckled to himself as he downed a bottle of water. Sure enough, he wasn't disappointed when Wakka came backstage to give him a tell-tale grin.

"Do your best out there, ya?" the redhead cheered him on with one last slap on the back.

"Heh, definitely," Riku grinned back.

Onstage, he took his position immediately while the drummers psyched up the audience, giving him a precious few moments to scan the crowd. Amongst the cheers, he could easily pick out Kairi and Sora's voices along with two other voices that completely threw him off. "Mom? Dad?" he muttered out loud, completely floored as his eyes caught sight of the tall figure that was his dad sitting next to his mother along with Sora, Kairi, and the others. _When did they get back!?_ He hadn't even heard word that they were on their way! He made a mental note to scold them later. For now, he couldn't stop smiling and the surprise made him half a second slower to respond when it was time to perform. However he quickly made up for it. Knowing his family and friends were in the crowd cheering him on gave his tired body an extra boost of energy and he found himself dancing with much more speed and enthusiasm than he had all day! He had been doing his best all day, but the pace was clearly getting to him. But now with his friends there, he had the pep he needed to get through this last performance. The fire on the ends of his batons flared with new life. The ground practically exploded with flames as he dragged them across the ground. The crowd ROARED with enthusiasm as he deftly performed his backflips and spins. The team was further encouraged and hyped and worked hard to keep up with the hype, smiles seen all around as they pushed themselves to give the best last show of the day!

The crowd was going wild, Riku's parents especially as Riku's dad clapped the most out of all of them. Even Riku's usually reserved mother was whistling between her fingers during the finale as her son breakdanced on stage between all the dancers' feet. Sora himself was beaming proudly the whole time, snapping pictures whenever he could whenever he wasn't applauding or gaping in awe at his boyfriend on stage. Riku clearly stood out amongst the other dancers, not just in appearance but in how he performed, but they made it work! He couldn't do tricks like eat fire or pass the flames underneath his body like the others could, but he performed his own spectacles and incorporated what he could do with the others seamlessly. The teamwork they managed to achieve in such a short amount of time was awe-inspiring!

When the dance was over, Sora was probably the first to leave the group to rush backstage and greet Riku, practically leaping at the teen who returned the embrace with a sweaty hug as his chest continued to heave from being so out of breath on stage. "Sora!"

"You were so great, Riku!" the brunette praised even as he pulled away and clutched both of Riku's hands. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Stop, you're embarrassing me," Riku chuckled.

"Not a chance!" Sora beamed. Riku's parents soon caught up, both giving Riku approving smiles. It was then that it occurred to Sora that he and Kairi had better get going! "I gotta go!" he told Riku before giving him one last hug. "I'll see you after the play!" he promised.

"Right, see you later!" Riku gave one last playful wink before Sora and Kairi ran off.

Now feeling kind of awkward, Vanitas especially, the other four decided to wait around in the shade of one of the cherry blossom trees while Riku caught up with his parents. Together they took photos and enjoyed each other's company as they watched the clock. During this time, Riku took some pictures with his parents in his traditional costume before he hurried to the locker room to get cleaned up and dressed back into his school uniform. After which, the entire group decided to go to the play together, even if it was a little early. This turned out to be the best course of action because no sooner had they grabbed seats, the gym began filling up with people. Soon all the metal chairs that were set out were filled and there were people even asking if they could just stand for the performance so the stage hands got permission to use the bleachers. Once word got around that more seating was available, soon the bleachers on both sides of the gymnasium were full as well!

Riku glanced around as the place began to fill before his eyes, "Wow, quite the turnout this time."

"Nobody tell Sora," Roxas looked over at Xion who looked like she was just about to text somebody and froze as Roxas mentioned Sora's name, her thumb hovering just above send.

"You think he'll be nervous?" Xion asked.

Riku shrugged. "Maybe not. After all, he got the first performance out of the way already." _Neither of them have called me backstage to help out, either._

Vanitas shifted uncomfortably in his metal folding chair. The din of the waiting audience was almost overwhelming. "There's no way they wouldn't be able to hear all these people back there. I'm sure they already know how packed it is," he grumbled.

"Soooooo...are we going to get pictures afterwards?" Riku's mom asked slyly.

Riku's heart fell into his stomach as he recalled how awkward picture-taking became yesterday but he swallowed back his doubts and nervously smiled to his mother. "If we do, we'll have to be quick. I'm sure the costume department will want the costumes back as soon as possible. Not to mention...the costume is uncomfortable."

"What, is he wearing a corset?" Riku's dad asked. He expected Riku to laugh, but the look the teen gave him clarified everything. "Oof. Poor guy."

"I bet he looks gorgeous!" Riku's mom exclaimed, all starry-eyed.

"What makes you so sure?" Riku's dad asked with amusement.

"He's got the figure for it!" Riku's mom grinned, earning a blush from Riku.

"C-can we not talk about this?" Riku begged, his mother grinning at him knowingly.

"What's silver and red all over?" Roxas grinned next to Riku while he elbowed him playfully, earning a swift side kick in the heel. "HEY!"

Meanwhile, backstage, Sora and Kairi were freaking out about a change in the script. With an even bigger audience outside, the class decided they needed things to be even more over the top. Somebody brought up that Cinderella needs to kiss her prince charming and Sora and Kairi nearly lost it. Despite their protests, the kiss was to take place right before Cinderella flees the ball, the perfect piece of dramatic tension before she comedically runs away shoeless. Other lines were added between the prince and the evil step-sisters to give the prince a little more character, mostly to encourage more ad-lib, even if Kairi was unable to remember all of them. At least this time around Sora was able to let Kairi get him into the corset without complaint, though he was a stiff bundle of nerves the entire time so she was merciless as she yanked the straps. Only when she finished tying him up did he finally complain that it felt too tight, much to her annoyance, but it was too late to undo everything now!

"Just hang in there! You and I have to worry about whether or not we're going to kiss for real!" Kairi huffed with her hands on her hips.

"I don't care if we do. Just be gentle with me," Sora pleaded in a small voice as he jokingly batted his eyelashes, infuriating Kairi even further.

"SORA! BE SERIOUS!"

"I am! I'm SERIOUSLY playing this role! Think I might join the theater club next year."

"I'm happy for you," Kairi grumbled. "But we need to focus on what's happening NOW!"

"What? You want to practice or something?" Sora blinked.

"N-no! I mean...I dunno! I've never kissed anybody like that before!" Kairi blushed.

"Wait, never?" Sora felt his own cheeks redden. "But you and the others kissed me for my birthday! And Riku's too!"

"Those don't count!" Kairi huffed as she turned away and crossed her arms. "I mean I've never kissed anybody on the lips."

"Well...you don't have to if you don't want to?" Sora offered. "We could try to fake it?"

"Wouldn't that be much harder than actually doing it?" Kairi pointed out.

"Yeah...probably..." the brunette conceded. "But you know, if you don't want it to, this one doesn't have to "count", either."

"Sora..." Kairi bit her lower lip. "I don't...I don't mind if I have my first kiss with you. Just...make sure it isn't sloppy."

Sora smiled softly as he did his best to hold back a laugh, "You're the one leading, remember? That's on you."

"NO! That's too much pressure!" Kairi whined. "PLEASE, SORA!"

"Okay, okay!" Sora put his hands up in surrender. "I know how we'll do this. Here, just give me your hand and just do it like this..."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The play was going off without a hitch from the moment the curtain rose. The audience was enthusiastic and it fueled a fire in all the actors and actresses who pulled off line after funny line, their movements much more candid and their chemistry better than ever before as they played off of each other to achieve the best laughs. All of Sora and Kairi's classmates were having the time of their lives as they gave it their all. Some even expressed how they were going to miss doing this and were also considering joining the theater club, much to the actual theater club's delight.

From the audience, the gang could see there was a lot of gusto in this performance. To Vanitas and Riku's parents who were watching it for the first time, it was quite the spectacle. Vanitas at first couldn't even tell what parts he was supposed to laugh at or not, but figured it out soon enough. Mostly he watched Naminé's face to make sure it was appropriate for him to be amused or not. For the others who had seen it once already, they could tell some things were added and it made the performance seem all the more fresh for them, not that they would've minded if nothing had changed at all since they all enjoyed it so much the first time.

Riku's mother was in tears when Cinder-Sora cried over her torn dress and Riku couldn't help squeezing her hand as he felt his own heart break from watching Sora's performance. It was heart-wrenching the first time he saw it, but this time it somehow felt more intense. He could swear he actually saw tears glistening in the corners of Sora's eyes as the blue light shined down on him. He heard a loud sniffle and glanced up to see his own father's eyes tearing up too and somehow that just made it ten times worse. So when Tidus came on stage to lighten the mood, Riku took the opportunity to wipe at his eyes while he laughed at the Fairy Godmother's antics. When Sora's transformation was complete on stage, there was a loud round of applause that Sora clearly reveled in while he and Tidus stood on stage, giving an extra pause so the audience could take it all in while Tidus smugly crossed his arms as the Fairy Godmother being proud of her work. Riku's mother squeezed Riku's hand as she excitedly bounced in her seat, looking between Riku and the stage happily as if to say "I told you so! LOOK AT HIM!" and Riku could only laugh into his hand at seeing the glee on his normally reserved mother's face.

The moment for the grand ball had arrived. Prince Kairi's interactions with the step mother and step sisters had the audience in stitches as he tried over and over to politely reject them only to end up accidently tripping over one of their dresses and having to be caught by the step mother who waggled her eyebrows playfully until the prince could take no more and was about to take off in a huff until he saw Cinderella arrive. The soft music began to play, the dancing commenced, soon the lighting was focused on them as they danced seemingly in the moonlight, just the two of them on stage as glitter kicked up everywhere just like before. But then the two paused, Kairi's arm around Sora while he looked up her, his posture gently tilted back while Kairi held onto his other hand. Kairi was leaning in awfully close...

"Wait, don't tell me..." Riku muttered under his breath.

Roxas and Xion both clung to each other's hands. Surely there was no way!?

Everybody in the audience practically held their breath and Riku was no exception as the two leaned into each other until finally Kairi closed the gap between her and Sora and pressed her lips to his all while cradling him in her arms. There was a collective GASP at the tender moment just as the midnight bell began to toll. Suddenly the romantic tension was all GONE as Cinder-Sora scrambled for the carriage while Prince Kairi called after him about leaving half his footwear behind. The curtain then fell for a brief intermission and everybody chattered excitedly all while Riku sat in his seat rather stunned.

Riku's dad then reached over and tapped Riku on the shoulder to snap him out of it, to who Riku turned and gave a helpless smile. His dad gave him a cheeky grin and before they knew it, the intermission was over. Sora was back in rags and his cute bob hairstyle and being comedically bossed around by the step mother and step sisters who were really hamming it up for this last performance. The audience was left breathless by the time the stepmother smashed the glass slipper with her cane and it was almost a relief when the play was over. The cast and crew came out to a standing ovation and camera flashes were going off left and right. For the ovation, Sora and Kairi were back in their ball attire and posed again for the cameras. The two enjoyed the spotlight for a few moments until finally the curtain fell one last time and everybody began to leave.

Roxas and the other teens went outside to wait while Riku and his parents waited on Sora and Kairi, who came out to greet them warmly and thank for coming. Almost immediately, Riku's mother begged for pictures so they hurried outside to do just that. Riku was almost embarrassed by how many pictures his mother wanted to take, but when he tried to tell her to cool it, she simply said, "I've always wanted a daughter. LET ME HAVE THIS!" to which Riku could only put his hands up and back away cautiously while giving Sora a look that said "Sorry, you're on your own!"

Sora didn't mind all the pictures and neither did Kairi for that matter. Especially when she got to scoop Sora up in her arms and hold him bridal style, showing off her spectacular strength, much to almost everybody's surprise! After that, it was a picture-taking frenzy! Then finally Riku was asked to be in the pictures with the two of them. Riku's dad even suggested Riku lift each of them in one arm to which Riku protested but the other two cheered him on. Sure enough, he was able to do it, albeit briefly, much to his dad's enjoyment!

"Hurry up and take the picture!" Riku demanded through gritted teeth as he tried to keep smiling for the camera.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT! I want this one too!" Roxas laughed as he hurried to grab his phone!

"Hurry!" Riku groaned, but Roxas was clearly taking his sweet time just to aggravate him.

By the time the pictures were all done, the three teens felt EXHAUSTED! They had all worked so hard today and laughed so much. Sora was beginning to lean on Riku who looked like he was in no better shape to support anybody after all the dancing he's done in the past two days. It felt rather silly, to be honest, being so tired after something like this when they've gone days on end fighting heartless back to back. Then again, those events were fueled by adrenaline. There was nothing of that sort here and the group found they didn't mind that fact whatsoever.

But then they heard a camera go off that didn't come from any of their phones as Sora was leaning into Riku. The unwelcome noise caused the teen to straighten up and he felt a dark energy as Vanitas bristle up somewhere behind him. Walking towards them was Sora's uncle with phone in hand and a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Fantastic performance, Sora! Or should I say Cinderella? I almost can't even recognize you in that get-up," the man grinned.

Sora took a step forward from the others, he could already tell the group was staring at his uncle warily but he wanted to settle this without any drama. This wasn't how he wanted to end the day. "What are you doing here?" he asked quietly. It was a dumb question. He knew the real answer as to why his uncle was on the premises. But as to why the man bothered showing his face to him, and taking pictures for that matter, that was another question entirely.

"I came to see your play! I heard from my friends it was quite the show and I wanted to see for myself. I also heard some other interesting things," he smirked.

"Like what?" Sora asked cautiously.

"Like my favorite nephew is on the blitzball team. You failed to mention that during our last meeting," he explained with a sneer.

"Probably because it's none of your business and because you didn't ask," Sora pointed out crossly. He had a feeling he already knew where this conversation was going. "Whatever you're going to ask, my answer is no."

"What makes you think I was going to ask anything?" the other's eyes narrowed.

Sora crossed his arms as he glared coldly at the man. "You need help and coming around here and betting on the next blitzball match for your next cash grab is not it," he stated firmly.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way while you're dressed like that, you fa--"

In that moment, Sora ran out of hands to grab onto his friends as he felt Riku and Kairi at his sides in an instant, ready to charge the man, but Riku's dad beat them to the punch. The tall, muscular man overshadowed even Sora's uncle, staring him down with a death glare as he got all up in the now-sputtering man's face.

"Th-this has nothing to do with you!" Sora's uncle protested, taking a step back so he can try to get around the large man in his way, but with every step he took, Riku's dad took another step forward, forcing him further back.

"You don't need to be here. I think it's time you left," Riku's dad threatened angrily in a tone that made Riku himself shiver. From here they could all see the veins popping out of the man's neck and out of his bulging biceps as he clenched his fists.

"He's MY nephew!" the man protested, practically spitting with fury as he pointed a finger at Sora.

"You're no uncle of mine!" Sora shouted back. "You never have been so don't start acting like you are now!"

Furious, the inebriated adult began to shout more profanities and even charge for Sora until he was suddenly and very forcefully turned around and shoved towards the gate by Riku's father. By then, school security was made aware of the scene and began to gather to urge the man off the premises. Thankfully, Riku's father wasn't asked to leave as well, much to Sora's relief.

"I'm sorry. Y-you didn't have to do that," he apologized, wringing his gloved hands as he tried to stop them from trembling.

The man only smiled softly, a smile that resembled Riku's so much it almost made Sora cry as he rested a heavy hand on his shoulder, "Nobody talks to my future son-in-law that way."

Riku could feel Sora trembling hard next to him and held his hand. "Maybe you two should hurry out of your costumes. The day's almost over."

"Right!" Kairi nodded. "Besides, this mustache itches!" she complained, earning a laugh from the group.

"Riku, do you think you could..." Sora asked quietly to which Riku nodded before he even finished asking.

"I'll be right back," Riku nodded to his parents before the trio went back inside to go to the changing areas backstage.

By now, everybody in their class had left, the backstage area in complete disarray with costumes draped everywhere as the students had hurriedly ditched them to enjoy the festival before the other events closed. Kairi tossed Sora a wet towel to clean the makeup off before grabbing her own and disappearing into the girls' changing area. With a small smile, Sora caught it and took Riku's hand to take him to the same private changing closet that Riku helped him dress in yesterday.

With the door closed securely behind them and the light turned on, Riku quietly slipped his arms around Sora who was now trembling much more. "I-I'm so sorry," he apologized again. "I didn't mean to get your dad involved."

"Hey, it's not your fault. Sometimes you just got to let adults handle these things," Riku comforted him by rubbing small circles into his back. "You were wonderful today. You made my mom cry."

Sora sniffled as he gave a small chuckle, "Did she really?"

"Same for my dad, I'm almost sure of it," Riku chuckled before reaching to cup Sora's cheek with a touch so soft it made Sora's lower lip tremble. "Are you going to be okay?"

Sora averted his gaze to stare down at his hands. "Riku, if there was ever...never mind."

"What?" Riku asked as he took Sora's wringing hands in his own.

Sora squeezed his eyes shut and bit his bottom lip. He hated that he was thinking these thoughts at all...these wonderings of whether life would've been easier for them if only...if only...It doesn't bother him what other people think. But what about Riku? What about their families? His uncle being a jerk was one thing, but what if he was just expressing what other people are already thinking? What if they end up being unwelcome in their own home world, the place they were trying so hard to reclaim as their actual future home together? "I just mean...do you think you would prefer me this way?" he asked quietly before looking up so he could read Riku's face.

Riku was taken aback by the question, unsure of where it came from. Was it because of how much attention he was giving him when he helped him dress yesterday? "Sora...I think you're beautiful no matter what."

"Riku..."

"I'm captivated, sure...and fascinated. But no matter what you look like on the outside, I'm in love with the person that's inside. I'm in love with what's in here," he smiled as he points to Sora's heart. "No amount of scarring or makeup or whatever can ever cover up how beautiful your heart is."

"But--"

"My preference," he interrupted, "Is whatever makes _you_ happiest."

Sora felt his chest heave as he let out a quiet sob only to be silenced by Riku's lips as the other wrapped his arms around him. He melted into his arms and felt himself become faint as the other held him tightly , their passionate kiss only interrupted when Riku pulled away.

"I can taste your makeup," Riku chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, I should probably take this stuff off or I'll get it all over you and the dress," Sora laughed as he used the wet towel that Kairi gave him to dab at his face and wipe away his tears in the process. It took a fair amount of time for him to get it all off. After all, it wasn't just his face that was covered. It was his chest and neck as well. When he was done, it was almost a complete transformation from the demure Cinderella to Sora, further fascinating Riku with how much makeup could change the look of his face. But even without the makeup, the way the wig framed his face and cascaded down his exposed shoulders kept Sora looking like a genuine fairy tale princess and Riku couldn't keep his eyes or his hands off of him.

Removing the costume should've taken much less time than putting it on, but Riku sure proved that wrong as he slowly peeled off Sora's gloves and kissed his hands, dragging his lips all the way up his arms to plant kisses across his chest, backing Sora against the wall, who tilted his head back and gasped as Riku's hands wandered to his waist and up his back, undoing the zipper on the back of the dress as he kissed at Sora's neck.

"R-Riku!" Sora moaned quietly, unable to get much of a word in as Riku peeled the top layer off of the ball gown and set it aside in a chair before pursuing his neck again, hands now groping for the petticoat underneath. "Riku, we shouldn't!"

"I know, I know," Riku whispered hoarsely even as his hands lifted the poufy layers of tulle to grope the bare skin of Sora's thighs that peaked out between his shorts and the stockings held up by garter belts.

"Rikuuuu..." Sora whined softly as he felt Riku's hot hands explore his thighs, making his whole body tremble.

"Shhhh," Riku hushed him with another deep kiss as he undid all the clasps deftly with his agile fingers. "Someone might hear us."

One by one, Sora's stockings fell to the floor and he kicked them off. Riku's hands wandered back up his hips, then his abdomen, before settling on Sora's artificial chest, an action that almost made Sora swoon as he squeezed the area gently. "St-stop!" he gasped.

"Soft," Riku grinned against Sora's lips as he gave them one more squeeze before finally granting Sora mercy and unclasping the front of the corset.

"Haaaaaaa!" Sora let out a long sigh of relief as he was finally released from his tight prison, the silicone implants falling out of place and almost landing on the floor but Riku caught them out of reflex only to quickly set them down elsewhere as if in disgust!

"They're sticky and sweaty!" Riku made a face, making Sora double over in laughter.

"Of course they are!" the brunette wheezed.

"Well I'll leave you to it," Riku stuck his tongue out and wiped his hands on his pants before giving a little wave and leaving Sora to finish getting dressed. Now that the teen was freed from the corset, it was starting to smell like sweaty socks in there and that was just a little too much for him at the moment.

"Fine, I'll be out in a minute!" Sora laughed, closing the door behind Riku as he used the towel to wipe himself down, giving himself a sort of quick sponge bath before changing back into his school uniform and hanging up the dress properly.

As he waited, Riku even checked one of the mirrors to make sure none of Sora's makeup had smeared on himself. He did have some lipstick on him, so he had to make quick work of getting that off, but thankfully nothing was on his white school shirt. Kairi came out of the dressing room first, now back in her own school uniform but still scratching a little at her upper lip to pick off any remnants of the glue that was used to attach her mustache.

"What was it like kissing Sora with a mustache?" Riku asked curiously.

Kairi blushed but smiled cheekily, "I'm not sure who it tickled more, me or him."

The two of them laughed just as Sora finally came back out of the closet. "I never want to wear a corset again!" he groaned.

"That's a shame," Kairi grinned. "I think it really accentuated your hips!"

"Stop it!" Sora groaned yet again, leading the way back outside where their friends and family were waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while to come out. I got caught up in playing Persona 5 Royal and the KH: MoM demo. XD


	51. Dink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku find a new way to express themselves.

It started with a noise from their bumped keyblades. Then again as they bumped their gauntlets. A small dink. When they accidently bumped noses as they leaned in for a kiss, they said "Dink!". After a kiss, one of them would pull away with a wink and say "Dink~". Eventually it evolved into a long-distance kiss. Just something they'd say to each other when they WANTED to give a kiss but simply couldn't. A way to convey that thought. "Dink."

A week ago, Sora and Riku were summoned on a long quest to explore a new world that was teeming with heartless. Had this been last semester, the two would have refused missing school for a week, but both have gotten much better about catching up with homework and with Kairi staying behind to help Sora keep track of his, he wasn't too worried...well...maybe a little. But this mission sounded important! So important, in fact, that King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were coming along!

Sora and Riku arrived at the new world on their keyblade gliders and quickly found the brightly colored gummi ship on the new world, a world covered in dense jungle and not much else. After they landed, they got the 411 from the king. This world is still "young" and changing, meaning it's in a state where it could change at any time. It could be an old world that's waking up or a world that's slowly blooming to life. Despite the pretty and lush greenery, it's been nothing but a breeding ground for heartless, so the team has been asked to observe for a week to see if anything changes.

Riku had once asked if Sora was inexperienced because he never got any alone time and he quickly began to understand why. Donald and Goofy were on Sora like glue! Even when it came to sleeping arrangements, the King had brought along a GIGANTIC tent for all five to sleep in. After a couple of hours of playing cards, the sleeping arrangement somehow ended up with Sora slipping into old habits and sleeping between Donald and Goofy and Riku found himself sleeping next to Mickey. Even with the tent providing lots of room for space between their sleeping bags, somehow Donald, Goofy, and Sora split out of their sleeping bags and ended up sleeping in a giant pile of limbs with the most terrible sleeping posture Riku thinks he's ever seen. How did Sora ever manage to get ANY proper sleep when he traveled with these two? At least they had separate bunks on the gummi ship, he supposed.

As much fun as they were all having together, Donald and Goofy demanded ALL of Sora's attention. To be fair, they hadn't seen him in a long time and it's been even longer since they adventured together. So the only moments of closeness that Sora and Riku really got to share were during battle. If Sora wasn't teaming up with Donald and Goofy, or Riku with Mickey, there were rare instances in the heat of things where they could finally perform their combined moves, easily wiping out the heartless in their way. They could clasp hands, bump fists, give each other grins, throw each other around, basically they felt unstoppable for these brief moments.

However, it wasn't too long before the pining began to build up again, something for more than just the quick kisses they've barely managed to exchange. So midway through the week when their traveling companions offered to cook dinner, Sora and Riku were quick to volunteer to keep a look out for heartless. With a warning to be careful from King Mickey, the two went off in different directions, walking a large half circle around the perimeter of the camp site until they met up again. Now certain that they were far enough away and no heartless were around to disturb them, things got heavy really quickly.

They took refuge behind the trunk of a very large tree. Sora's back was pressed against it as they cupped each other's faces, their mouths connected and their tongues entangled in a complicated dance. Each did their best to help the other stifle their quiet and breathy moans. Hands wandered over each other's bodies until Sora's settled around Riku's shoulders and Riku's on Sora's hips. They were pressed flush together, their heads tilting side to side as they competed to get the best angle to taste the other. Between breaths, they whispered each other's names, soft and desperate.

"Riku..."

"Sora..."

"WHADDAYA TWO DOING!?" a shrill squawking voice startled both of them apart. The court magician was standing a few feet away from them, red and furious!

"Uh...what's it look like?" Sora grinned sheepishly as he scratched his cheek, desperately avoiding eye contact with the duck while Riku's hands still lingered on his hips.

"A-hyuck!" Goofy chuckled, wandering out of the brush to stand behind Donald. "Did you find a heartless in Riku's mouth, Sora?"

Riku's face turned scarlet but Sora could only laugh. "Yep. And I think it's still in there so if you'll excuse me--"

"YOU'LL DO NO SUCH THING!" Donald scolded as he stomped his foot. "We're on a mission! Dere's no time for hanky panky!"

"You can't tell me to not kiss my boyfriend, Donald!" Sora retorted, breaking away from Riku to stomp his own foot.

"Awr you shtill sheventeen?" Donald asked with his fists on his hips.

"Uh...yeah...?" Sora scratched his cheek.

"Ahm I still yer eldah?" Donald smirked.

Sora deflated. "Yes..."

"Then I shay no! Beshides! Yer shupposed to be wooking for heartless!!" the angry duck flailed.

"We searched the entire perimeter and didn't see anything!" Sora insisted. "Besides, why aren't you guys at camp? Were you spying on us?"

"We stopped hearing your footsteps and got worried," Goofy explained.

"Wut if the powerwilds shnuck by you!?" Donald scolded yet again.

"They wouldn't have got past us! Besides, you left the king all alone!?" Sora pointed out.

"Oops! I guess we did," Goofy put a worried hand up to his muzzle while Donald let out a tiny squawk. Together the group ran back to find Mickey waiting patiently while stirring the stew over the fire.

"Haha! No heartless?" Mickey asked.

"Not a one," Riku assured him with a smile.

"That's great! Let's eat!"

After that, Sora and Riku kept their hands relatively close to themselves. They didn't try to sneak off into the jungle anymore. Instead they'd exchange glances over dinner. If they caught each other's gaze, Sora would grin and say, "Dink!" Riku would smile softly back, that fond smile that lit his eyes just so, and also reply "Dink."

The other three were beyond confused, but they wouldn't dare ask what it meant. Sora and Riku didn't think they'd be able to explain it, either, even if they tried. It was just something that happened. Even after their mission turned up nothing to report, just a world that was still waking up, even after they returned home, the two continued to say it. It was like a short hand now for "I love you" or "If I could kiss you, I would" or "You're looking cute today"...it said so much with so little. What was even more amazing was that nobody could tell them to stop. So they did it all the time.

"Hey, Riku!"

"Hm?"

"Dink!" Sora grinned.

"Heh. Dink," Riku grinned back.

"You two!" Kairi groaned. "You're too much."


	52. The Thing We Share

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Destiny Trio prepare for an upcoming vacation with a shopping trip! However, Kairi is burdened with an insecurity that keeps her from enjoying part of their shopping spree.

Riku found himself in a small clearing amidst a forest. There were soft blades of grass at his feet and the tall, gently swaying trees were crowned with blue leaves the color of navy. The peaceful silence was then broken by a flock of giant birds the size of swans that flew in from overhead. Their wings almost looked mechanical and their plumage fit the color of the trees' foliage. Although they appeared to be blue at first, and rather intimidating with their sharp beaks, once the flock had landed Riku could see it's more apparent that they're more silver and black in color. He observed the flock from afar, the group of ten or so large birds staying huddled together for the most part, not unlike a flock of ducks or geese as they explored the small clearing, seemingly unaware of his presence.

Afraid to disturb them and to be on the receiving end of those sharp beaks, Riku carefully took a seat in the grass and continued to observe. They didn't seem to pay him any mind, but then one of them approaches! He sits very still, hands resting in his lap, though he wonders if he should be prepared to run as the bird waddles even closer until it's within reaching distance. They make eye contact briefly before its wings fold away to reveal a canine of some sort. A friendly, silver fox-like creature with blue eyes and black ears along with a black pattern down its back. Riku could only stare in amazement as the little creature stared up at him almost expectantly. It shook its body with its rear end in the air like a puppy ready to play. But when Riku doesn't react right away, it lunged forward and boops his knee with its little black nose and demands to be petted!

Riku could only chuckle quietly at the blue-eyed creature's antics and slowly reaches a hand out to the creature who immediately shoves its head into his palm and makes a cooing noise as it nuzzles itself into his hand. Its fur felt feathery soft and he couldn't keep himself from scratching it behind the ears and underneath its chin, despite feeling the other birds' stares from afar. The creature continued to coo happily, even tumbling over to expose its belly to beg for more pets. "Heh, you're a strange little fella," Riku chuckled and complied, giving the fuzzy creature a belly rub to its little heart's content.

When Riku awoke, he found himself in a better mood than usual. He could smell breakfast being made downstairs and the floorboards felt cool beneath his feet. "Oh yeah, that's right," he smiled to himself. His parents are home. He could hear his father's heavy footsteps downstairs and the gentle clatter of dishes. No doubt they're waiting for him to join them. With that in mind, he hurried through his morning routine of brushing his hair and putting his contacts in before he headed downstairs for breakfast dressed in blue shorts and a yellow tank top layered with an open white linen button up shirt and the bracelet Sora made for him adorning his left wrist.

He greeted his parents good morning and the three enjoyed their breakfast in silence for a while, saving any actual conversation for when they finished eating and were sipping on their second cup of morning coffee.

"Are you all packed for the trip, yet?" his mother asked.

Riku looked up from his mug. That's right, their vacation is only two days away. Kairi's family had invited his and Sora's families to their summer home on a private beach for the long weekend coming up. It also coincided with Sora's 18th birthday. He made plans with Sora and Kairi to go shopping today for new clothes and swimsuits but he hadn't actually begun packing yet. "I'll get started today after we finish shopping," he promised.

"It's been a while since we've had a vacation together," his father mused as he looked through the morning paper. "Not since you all were kids, I don't think."

"Yeah, it has been a while," Riku smiled softly. He could remember that vacation too. It wasn't really anything special, location-wise. He and his parents invited Sora and his family to go camping on one of the remote islands not too far from here. They went fishing on one of their boats and did a lot of cave exploration. At night they would grill the fish they caught and gather around the campfire and tell stories until they fell asleep and had to be carried back to their tents. He could remember Sora waking him up early to see if they could sneak away and have an adventure before their parents woke up, but what they would end up doing was make sand castles in their pajamas and sword fight with the driftwood that had washed up on shore. They'd be cold and wet by breakfast and made to sit close to the fire as they got scolded for playing around without supervision. Regardless, he recalls they were all smiles.

Now they'll get to share some new memories with Kairi and her family! He hadn't personally been to this beach in question since it's always been reserved for the mayor's family. But Kairi told them that it was next to a beautiful reef and had amazing surf so she suggested they all buy new swim gear to take full advantage of it. The mayor also wanted to do some deep sea fishing, but they were all covered on fishing gear. What Riku and Sora definitely didn't have were clothes to enjoy the summer with, seeing as how they had grown YET AGAIN, so they all took Kairi up on her invitation to go shopping with little complaint. Speaking of which, it was almost time to meet her and Sora at the mall! So he quickly downed his orange juice and cleared his plate, thanking his parents before hurrying to leave. "I'll be back soon!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A weekend getaway with Riku and Sora. It sounded like so much fun. But not just them; their families, too! When Kairi's parents made the arrangements for everybody to spend the upcoming four day holiday together, she was ecstatic. It feels like it's been so long since they've done anything like this. Her parents had a villa on another remote island that was ideal for fishing and snorkeling with tons of other pretty scenery to enjoy. Plus, the community there kept to themselves, so it was the perfect place to let one's hair down. Even Riku's parents couldn't turn down the invitation when they were asked!

All that was left was to take the boys shopping! She knew those two hadn't bought new clothes in a while, let alone swimsuits that didn't have to do with their blitzball gear or school uniforms. She herself needed a new wetsuit to try surfing in, as the boys promised this would be the year they would finally get her to stand on the board. Armed with her savings and her determination to have a good time, she eagerly awaited the arrival of the other two at the mall at the fountain where they promised they would meet. The summer heat was already bearing down even though spring had only barely ended so she was dressed in a short lavender summer dress layered with a thin white cardigan.

Riku showed up first, surprisingly without Sora. "Riku!" she waved down the silver-haired teen. "Good morning!"

"Morning!" Riku greeted with a warm smile. "That dress looks cute on you."

"Thank you!" Kairi smiled appreciatively. "Is Sora not with you?"

"You mean he's not here already?" Riku blinked. "I stopped by his place first but his mom said he already left."

"Worry not!" Kairi dug into her purse for her phone as she could already see Riku's brow beginning to furrow. "We have technology!" she exclaimed dramatically as she whipped out her phone and quickly began to text their missing friend. "Where. Are. You?" she mumbled out loud as she typed out the message. In a few seconds, a beep rang from her phone, signaling Sora's response.

Kairi: Where are you?  
Sora: At the mall! Where are you?  
Kairi: At the fountain. We're meeting here, remember?  
Sora: No? o.o????  
Kairi: Just get over here!  
Sora: But I'm in line for a pretzel! I waited so long I got hungry! >.<

Kairi groaned and showed Riku the string of messages, the older teen facepalming as he read them. "Why am I not surprised?" he asked.

"Should we go look for him?" Kairi suggested.

"Yeah, I have a feeling I know exactly where he is. Tell him not to go anywhere," Riku shook his head and began walking.

"Right!" Kairi nodded with a chuckle, quickly typing the message before following the taller teen.

Sure enough, they found Sora with two large pretzels in hand, one for Riku and Kairi to share and one for himself. They took that as apology enough before the three of them began wandering the mall to find which shop they wanted to peruse first. The first store they stepped into was a popular clothing store for teens but although Sora and Kairi found a bunch of stuff they liked, Riku felt they didn't have much that suited his tastes, so they tried a couple more stores. Eventually the three found enough clothes for a few new outfits, even finding some pieces they really liked at a second-hand store.

"There's just something comfy about second-hand clothes," Sora observed happily as he made his purchase of a few loose-fitting shirts and shorts.

"Yeah, like they're already broken in, or something," Kairi added.

Riku himself bought a few clothes to work on the treehouse in. At least this way he could have something comfortable that he didn't have to worry about spilling paint on. But he also found a few shirts he genuinely liked as well and a pair of tan leather boots that looked like they've been barely worn but felt really comfortable.

Now laden with shopping bags, the trio was beginning to wonder if they should've shopped for swimsuits FIRST, but there was no going back now! First they shopped for wetsuits. There was a variety of colors and lengths to choose from, unsurprisingly, so they spent a lot of time going through them and trying them out. Sora went with a short length suit that was mostly black with red across the chest and back and grey on the sleeves. Riku went with a full-length suit that again was mostly black, but had grey on the insides of the sleeves and legs with dark blue on the wrists and ankle area and yellow on the shoulders and collar. Kairi went with a short length, but with long sleeves and it was black with magenta sleeves, stitching, and zipper. They also found themselves some new snorkels since none of them were able to even find their old gear at home and the straps would more than likely snap if they tried testing them out now.

"Oof," Sora winced as he looked at the price of the goggles and snorkels. "Note to self, take better care of these so I never have to buy another set again."

"Good idea," Riku smirked. "That means don't leave them out on the beach in the sun for hours at a time."

"And rinse them properly," Kairi added.

"I know, I know! And what are you all ragging on me for? Like yours are in any better shape than mine!" he pointed out.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just outgrew mine," Riku dodged.

"Uh, yeah, same," Kairi turned away.

"Yeah right!" Sora stuck his tongue out.

After making their selections, the last thing on their list were the actual swimsuits. Again, many styles to choose from, but even more so for Kairi who practically froze when she saw rack upon rack of swimsuits geared towards women in all shapes and colors. Sora and Riku each found a pair of baggy trunks they both liked. But when Riku saw the tight speedo swim pants, he couldn't resist trying on a pair and Sora couldn't stop staring so he bought those too. With that in mind, Sora bought a pair that were knee-length, not unlike the ones he had for school. When they left the dressing rooms to find Kairi, they noticed her standing pretty much where they left her, but now surrounded by girls from their school...including Xindy.

_None of these...none of these are right. This is a mistake. I should've just stuck with a wetsuit. Or maybe...maybe I can wear a pullover?_

Kairi hated herself for thinking this way. It wasn't right. How could this have happened? How could they have invested so much time in convincing Sora to come out of his shell only for her not to take her own advice? Up to this point, she's only ever gone shopping with her mother. The others had no idea that she...but how could they? She couldn't bear to tell them, least of all Sora. She had a feeling Riku might have an inkling. After all, he has his own, so how could she not?

The swimsuit she wore at school was only just enough to conceal what she had been hiding ever since she and Sora returned. But she couldn't see any others with that same style. Any one-pieces she could find were just too low cut in the back. "I-I don't need it to be pretty," she tried to tell herself. "I just need it to be functional."

"What are you talking about?" a voice called out from next to her. It was a girl from school. "You're so cute, Kairi-chan! You should show it off more!"

The next thing she knew, she was surrounded by her classmates who were all piling swimsuits into her arms for her to try but she couldn't bring herself to say a word. How could she tell them? None of them knew anything about what she had gone through. That was one thing she didn't have that the boys did. She couldn't tell anybody she had been with them, that she too had been away experiencing things that they could never even imagine. When Sora was asleep, she had Riku to hold her through it, to comfort her when she cried, and she held him as he shook with his own grief. But now...it wasn't so much that she felt left out; after all, they both had to look out for Sora. But something definitely had shifted in the balance, almost like everybody was moving on except her. But maybe that was her own fault for keeping it to herself. But how could she ever bring it up? She had silently hoped that maybe this vacation would be a chance for them to feel close again, just like before...maybe even close enough that she could tell them how she'd been feeling. If only she could get over this one obstacle holding her back.

"You should definitely try this one, too~" Xindy spoke from beside her before tossing a bikini on top of the pile, a pastel yellow one with ruffles on the top.

Ruffles...she knew what ruffles meant. Xindy was taking a jab at her chest size. She swallowed hard and gripped the swimsuit pile in her fists tightly as she held back the lump growing in her throat.

"Yellow isn't her color though, don't you think?" she heard Sora's voice from a few feet away and looked up to see him and Riku standing there with their purchases, looking at her with concern.

Kairi smiled with relief, "What took you two so long?"

"Sorry," Riku smiled softly. "You ready to try them on?" he nodded to the pile in her arms.

"I can carry some of those for you if you want to pick out others," Sora added politely, noting the pile of at least ten suits in her arms, none of which really seemed to be Kairi's taste, or at least as far as he knew.

"Y-yeah, that'd be great! Thank you, Sora!" she smiled broadly and offered the suits to the brunette who carefully took them. "Thank you, everybody. I think I'm going to look around a little more."

The girls nodded and dispersed to do their own shopping after they said their good-byes, though it was clear a few of them were envious of Kairi's entourage as Riku and Sora followed her around, keeping a respectable distance away of course.

As Kairi looked over the suits some more, she kept glancing back over her shoulder at Riku and Sora, worried that they might be bothered about standing around in this section of the store. But if they were bothered, they didn't show it, only looking over to give smiles at Kairi if they caught her looking and nodding in approval if she picked something off the rack. Finally it was time to try some of them on and the three of them walked to the dressing room area where there was a few mismatched couches for the boys to sit on while she went into the changing room. Sora held out the suits for her to look at before she went in, since she could only take so many at a time, but it was clear right away that some of the more adventurous styles were a no-go so he kindly offered to take them back to the racks for her while she went into the changing room with the ones she did consider trying on.

While Kairi was in the changing room and Sora was away getting rid of the other suits, Riku sat on the couch to watch over all their shopping bags. While he waited, he scrolled through kingstagram on his phone, already beginning to feel tired from this shopping trip. What was it about shopping that made it feel like a marathon? From behind him, he could hear Kairi's classmates from earlier talking amongst themselves. He tried to ignore it, but he heard Kairi's name and found he couldn't concentrate on his phone anymore, his eyes narrowing as he stared unseeing at the screen.

"She didn't seem to like any of the two-pieces, did she?"

"She's shy in the locker room, too. She always dresses in the stall."

"Do you think she's actually shy? I just figured she thought she was too good to dress with the rest of us."

"I don't think that's it. She's actually pretty nice, isn't she?"

"I mean I guess so. She has seemed kind of distant lately, though. I only ever see her hang out with Selphie and the other two."

"But what about the school festival? She seemed to have lots of friends."

"Yeah, who were those people? I've never seen them before."

"Where could she have met them?"

"Who knows?"

 _Changing separately, huh?_ Riku looked up from his phone and stared at the curtain that Kairi was changing behind. Suddenly things were starting to make sense.

Kairi stood frozen in the changing room as she looked at herself in the mirror. She dared to try on a two piece with boy shorts and a sports bra-like top because she really liked the pattern: black with magenta flowers. But as she suspected, it didn't cover up the one thing she was trying to hide. If anything, she thought it accentuated it. Just seeing it in the mirror made her body tremble. She suddenly felt cold and wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to stop herself from shaking. She wanted to hide! She hated it! She hated seeing what that man had done to her! She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe, eyes tightly shut. In and out. In and out slowly. Why did she think she'd be able to do this?

"Kairi?"

 _Riku!_ Kairi snapped her head up and looked towards the curtain.

"Are you okay? Do you...can I come in?" he asked quietly.

Kairi felt her heart clench and let out a small sob, unable to properly express her gratitude, she simply reached a hand past the curtain and gently tugged when she felt Riku's warm hand grasp it. Though he took a lot of space in the small room when he entered, Kairi felt like she could finally breathe properly with him in there. Without saying anything he offered his arms to embrace her and she gladly took it, burying her face into his yellow tanktop while she trembled in his arms.

Reflected in the mirror, Riku could see the scar on her back, slashed diagonally from where Xehanort struck her during the Keyblade War. It was pale and jagged, not unlike Sora's. He held her closer as she cried it out before finally saying quietly, "You're so strong, Kairi."

"Riku..." she whispered. "What should I do?"

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. But you shouldn't feel you have to hide either, at least not from us...not even Sora," he added.

"You don't think..." she trailed off as she clutched his shirt.

Riku shook his head and pulled back so she could look at him. "Trust me, if anybody would understand, it's him. He still thinks he has to hide sometimes, too. Even from his own family. Maybe...we can all stop hiding together?"

"Together?" Kairi's eyes widened...but then a smile spread across her face. "Really?"

"Yeah," Riku nodded and hugged her again. "The three of us."

_The three of us..._

"Thank you...Riku..."


	53. Saving Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's phone is full so he takes a trip to Twilight Town to ask Roxas for his assistance!

"Thanks again for helping me out, Roxas," Sora thanked the teen while lounging on his bed and fiddling around with one of the figures he found on the night stand. He was packing up for the vacation when he noticed an icon on his gummi phone warning him of low storage space. Tron tried to explain to him that he needed to either upload pictures to the clouds or find another storage device to transfer them to, but neither option made much sense to him. All he figured was that he needed a computer to put it on and his options were limited. So he hoped Roxas would be a safe bet to hold onto them.

Said addressed teen looked up from his laptop at his desk. "No problem. But you know you're going to have to learn about computers eventually, right? That means actually BUYING your own computer?"

"But I've never needed a computer before!" Sora argued with a huff. "So why should I need one now?"

"Well I guess that's fine...if you don't want to keep all these pictures you've taken~" Roxas pointed out with a mischievous grin. "So I guess there's no need for me to save these on my laptop for you."

"Wait wait!" Sora scrambled off the bed to drape his arms over Roxas's shoulders in a pleading hug. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll try and find one when I get back from vacation, I promise! Just hold onto them for me until then, pleeeeeease?"

The blonde snickered as Sora rubbed his cheek against his. "Alright! Alright! I said I would do it, didn't I?" he laughed. "You're too easy."

"You just know how to push my buttons!" Sora pouted. "Unfair advantage!"

"Like it's hard?" Roxas smirked.

"Hmmmmmm...Well, I know how to push your buttons too~" Sora threatened.

"You won't if you want me to take good care of your pictures!" the former nobody warned.

"You can't hold my memories hostage like that! That's not fair! ROXAAAAAAAAASSSSSS!!!"

"OW! My ear!"

"I thought I could trust yooooou!!!" Sora whined.

Roxas sighed. "Aw, don't be like that! You can trust me. I'm only kidding."

"Hee! You're the best!" Sora smiled broadly and gave Roxas an extra squeeze before releasing him and flopping back onto the bed behind them. "So how long's it gonna take anyway?"

"Well you have a LOT of pictures on here," Roxas noted as he observed the scroll bar on his screen getting smaller and smaller while his laptop processed all the pictures. "How many pictures do you plan on taking during your vacation?"

"A lot!" Sora chirped.

Roxas deflated. "So even saving half of these is going to at least take half an hour."

"Really? That long!?" Sora sat up.

The blonde turned in his chair to look at Sora. "Have you ever downloaded ANYTHING?"

"Uh...no," Sora shook his head. "Unless you count Tron, but the guys at the lab did that for me. And there was the time I tried to deal with Ansem's computer, but the MCP just yelled at me."

Roxas facepalmed. "Well, put it this way, you were asleep for a year, right?"

Sora tilted his head. "Yeah?"

"Because you had a life of memories that needed to be fixed. You've had this phone for well over a year and I'm moving about half of your memories on this phone to another place. See what I'm getting at?"

"Well when you put it that way, half an hour seems like nothing at all!" Sora chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

Roxas chuckled and clicked a few things to allow the laptop to execute the transfer. "You know, next time you're in a pinch, you can just go through and delete some of the photos that you don't want to keep anymore."

"No way. I like all of them!" Sora grinned.

"Come on, you're telling me you don't have some bad shots you can get rid of? I can already see some of these are really blurry!"

Sora shook his head. "Not a chance. Even if some of them aren't the greatest, they're special to me."

Roxas smiled softly, "If you say so."

"Mm!" Sora nodded.

With all the laptop's RAM now being dedicated to relocating hundreds of Sora's pictures, there was nothing left for Roxas to do so he stood and stretched before sitting on the bed next to Sora who surprised him by immediately flopping sideways to lounge with his head in his lap. He then held up the figure he had been fiddling with. "So tell me about this guy!"

"That's not a guy, that's a suit of magitech armor," Roxas chuckled as he took it from him and showed him the inside. "You put another figure inside of it for them to ride around in."

"Ohhhhhhh...What's magitech?" Sora blinked.

"I guess it's technology that casts magic artificially for the user. It's battle armor for people who can't cast magic themselves," Roxas explained. "It's from a video game I like."

"Cool! Did you paint this one yourself?"

"Yeah, though this one was easy," Roxas smiled as he handed it back to Sora for him to look at. "The only hard parts were the tiny details with the wiring. Other than that, the colors were pretty bland."

"Hm," Sora peered inside and noticed how the tiny knobs and levers were painted. "You did a great job. I like the other ones, too! You must have a lot of patience."

"Well, don't give me too much credit," the blonde chuckled. "I mess up all the time and then I get frustrated and don't get back to it for another week. But I guess you can say I'm learning patience from doing it."

"I think that's something I should work on, too," Sora tilted his mouth to the side as he handed the figure back to Roxas who leaned over to set it back on the table.

"So you admit it?" Roxas smirked.

"Well who else would you get it from?" Sora grinned.

"You got me there," the teen laughed.

The brunette smiled softly as he observed how the other's eyes crinkled closed as he laughed. It was nice hearing the other teen sound so genuinely jovial. "I'm so happy for you, Roxas."

"Huh?" Roxas looked down at the brunette to see him staring back at him with a soft gaze that made him feel warm...and seen. Like there was something that Sora could see that he couldn't. "Where'd that come from?"

"Nothing. I just...I guess I worried for you. Even while I was asleep last year I thought about you. I think I could even hear you sometimes," Sora admitted.

The way Sora said that so quietly almost had Roxas straining to hear. It was almost intimate in the way he said it. "You were worried about _me_?" he asked.

"Just a little," Sora turned his eyes downcast to stare at his hands folded over his stomach. "I know we hadn't spoken much before that. And when we had, you just seemed so sad. But you were with your friends, too. So I figured you would be okay. I couldn't help wondering, though, like...how would it be for you having your memories returned to you the way they did...and whether...I guess if anything would have changed for you without my memories floating around in there too. Your heart is yours and yours alone. But you are...or WERE my nobody...so..."

"Careful, you might strain something from thinking that hard," Roxas snickered as he ran a hand through Sora's hair until his furrowed brow relaxed. "You're right, I don't have any of your past memories. I just remember what I saw when I DID have them. In that regard it's like I skim-read a book and all I'm left with is pretty general knowledge about your life up to that point. So needless to say, I don't think those have any bearing on who _I_ am or the person I've turned out to be...thank goodness," he smirked.

Sora let out a laugh at the teen's snark, glad that he brought some levity to the conversation. He did feel relieved, though he still had so many unanswered questions. Then again, maybe they're questions better left unanswered. After all, the two of them are happy leading separate lives and they've gotten really close as friends even in such a short amount of time. Perhaps thinking too hard about it would really do more harm than good. "So everything really is okay?"

"It's more than okay. It's great. And I have you to thank for that," Roxas smiled softly with a shy tilt of his head.

"Roxas..." Sora bit his own lower lip before sitting up to embrace the other teen. "I should be thanking you, too!"

"Now don't you start!" Roxas huffed as he slipped his arms around Sora's waist and rested his chin on the other's shoulder, his cheeks reddening as he fought back the tears that were threatening to well up in his eyes. "I'm just saving your pictures! Don't get all sappy on me!"

"What, now you're all flustered?" Sora teased, his own cheeks reddening as his heart resonated with Roxas's. "Seems I know how to push your buttons after all!" he joked as he playfully began prodding the teen's sides.

"AGH!! Now you're asking for it!" Roxas yelped before lifting Sora and tumbling with him to the carpeted floor to pin him down. "I'm going to make you regret that!"

"WAIT! HAVE MERCY!" Sora begged as he rolled over and attempted to crawl away while Roxas attacked his sides. "I WAS KIDDING!!"


	54. Destiny Trio Vacation: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Destiny Trio have some fun in the sun and some spooks in the dark!

The first morning of their vacation had finally arrived for the Destiny Trio and their families. The skies were clear and the sea was calm as they took the mayor's small yacht to the private beach with the summer home where they'd be staying for the next four days. Already eager to have some fun, the three teens stood on the open deck and held onto the railing as they felt the air of the open sea rush past them. This sure beat the heck out of a raft or rowboat, that's for sure! In the distance, they could make out the tall white beach house perched high on the beach where they'd be staying, its large glass windows catching the light. It definitely stood out compared to any of the other houses they've seen on the islands.

Once they made landfall, the first order of things was to unload all their luggage and gear off the boat and figure out which rooms they'd be staying in. There were enough bedrooms for each set of parents but when all was said and done, there was only one bedroom left for the teens: a bedroom with a set of bunk beds. It was the kind of bunk bed set where the bed on the bottom was larger than the one on top so best case scenario, two could sleep on the bottom bunk. But...

"If you want to have the bedroom to yourself, Kairi, I don't think Riku and I would mind sleeping in the living room, right?" Sora looked to Riku.

"Not at all," Riku offered.

"Don't be silly!" Kairi laughed. "Why would I mind sharing a room with you two?"

"Hey, just thought I'd offer!" Sora laughed.

"Guess that means Kairi gets top bunk," Riku grinned.

"Woohoo!" Kairi cheered.

Once everybody was settled in, all that was up for discussion was what they all wanted to do first! After a rather boisterous discussion amongst the dads, it was decided that they should all go fishing! Meanwhile, Sora, Riku, and Kairi were already getting dressed when they heard the news. Sora was eager to go, dressed in his loose red swim trunks and a black t-shirt and Riku was dressed similarly with blue trunks and a white shirt. Kairi was dressed in purple shorts and a white tank top with a floppy hat and sunglasses. The moms offered to stay back and go grocery shopping to prepare for all the grilling and barbecuing they were going to do later, so the other six were back on the boat to do some deep sea fishing!

The big open sea was a little more rocky than the shallows that they were already used to and on the fishing deck it was absolute chaos as they found themselves reeling in fish after fish. Many of them weren't big enough to keep, but Kairi caught a few big ones which Sora and Riku helped her hook and drag in. Rather, it seemed Riku did most of the helping. Sora was busy taking pictures.

"Are you going to catch ANY fish, Sora?" his dad asked playfully, seeing as how Sora had only touched a rod a couple of times and has yet to reel in anything to actually take home.

"Sure! Just give me a sec!" Sora replied cheerfully before yanking his shirt off and diving into the ocean!

"Wait! Sora!" his dad called after him.

"Is he going to be okay!?" Kairi asked.

"That boy better not get caught on any of the hooks!" Riku's dad chortled.

"Heads up!" they all heard from the other side of the boat, which was the only warning they got before a dolphin tuna came FLYING through the air and landing on the deck, startling Kairi who let out a screech when it landed right next to her.

"SORA!!" she stomped her foot while Riku laughed and hurried to grab a hold of it before the flailing fish could hit anybody.

"Nice catch!" Riku chortled as Sora jumped back into the boat with all the grace of a dolphin.

"Did you really just catch that fish with your bare hands!?" Kairi's dad asked in amazement.

"Want me to catch another?" Sora asked cheekily.

"Show off," Riku smirked as he playfully elbowed the teen. "Just for that, you're cleaning your own fish."

When they returned in the early evening, the moms were all set with tables set up to clean their catch and a roaring fire and grill were set up with another table with all the fixings, ready to help prepare their catch for dinner. Together they all had quite a fun time cleaning and filleting the fish, happy that the moms brought out the aprons too as it turned out to be quite the messy affair that ended with all of them taking a dip in the ocean for a bit to rid themselves of at least SOME of the blood and scales and overall unpleasant fishy smell.

"So who do you think caught the biggest fish?" Kairi asked as they treaded in the shallows.

"I think my dad did," Riku pondered.

"No, has to be me!" Sora boasted.

"No way!" Kairi splashed him. "Besides, you cheated!"

"Did not! Nobody said that catching with a pole was required. I can prove I caught the biggest one!" Sora protested as he swam closer to Riku.

"Oh really? How's that?" Riku asked suspiciously.

"Cuz he's swimming right here!" Sora laughed before climbing onto Riku's back! "Riku's the biggest catch!"

"HEY!" Riku laughed as he nearly got pulled under. "Not so fast!"

"YEAH! You haven't reeled him in yet! So I can still take him from you!" Kairi laughed, swimming over to climb on Riku as well to fight Sora.

"HEY, YOU TWO!" Riku flailed in an attempt to throw them both off. "Neither of you are getting this!" With that, he stood and started heading back to shore, dragging both teens who clung to his waist and arm, giggling the whole way even as they were dragged along the wet sand.

On shore, the parents laughed at their antics before inviting them to play some beach volleyball. They split into teams of three, each family against the other in a small tourney (somebody had to watch the fish). Sora and Riku's families were unsurprisingly intense, their friendly rivalry showing on all fronts as both sides played their hearts out, almost forgetting that one of them still had to play Kairi's family next! It came down to the very last point, but Sora's family won the first round with an awesome spike by Sora's mom!

"Woohoo! In your face, Riku!" Sora cheered.

"Dummy!" Riku tackled Sora to the sand. "Your mom carried your team! You have no right to brag!"

"ACK!" Sora squealed as he wrestled Riku.

"Clear the field! It's our turn!" Kairi smirked with a competitive gleam in her eye.

What followed was yet another intense game that seemed to be solely between Kairi and Sora's mom, each spiking the ball like their lives depended on it. This time around, Sora's mother did not hold back her frustration, yelling at Sora to get his head in the game if he wanted to eat dinner tonight.

"She's on the volleyball team! It's not my fault!" Sora whined as he dived for the ball, only to miss and Kairi's team earning another point.

"Are you my son, or aren't you!?" his mom yelled! "GET UP!"

"DAD! Mom's being mean!" Sora called for backup but he doesn't know why he bothered, because he knew his dad wouldn't dare argue.

"You're doing great, son!" his dad gave a thumbs up from the back of the field where it was safe.

"Oi!"

"Yeah, pay attention, you lazy bum!" Kairi jeered as she got ready to launch the ball once more.

After a couple more games, Riku's family were in third place and Kairi's family won. While Sora was happy that his family outdid Riku's he also had a suspicion that they were more invested in the meal that was being prepared rather than the game and he respected that. Though Riku insisted that they're just not as fast as Sora and Kairi's families are, what with all the muscle weighing them down.

"Just let me have this!" Sora groaned.

"Why?" Riku snickered. "Again, your mom was carrying your team."

"My mom's bet--"

"Don't you dare!" Riku clapped a hand over his mouth. "It will not end nicely."

"Sorry!" Sora mumbled.

Now thoroughly exhausted, they have all worked up quite the appetite. With the sun about to go down, they all hurried inside to get cleaned up so they could get ready for dinner. Outside they had prepared a long table with some torches to keep the bugs at bay so they could eat and enjoy the sunset together. As they enjoyed their meal, they thanked each other for their hard work and congratulated each other at a hard day of play.

"How about some stargazing after this?" Sora's mom suggested.

"That sounds lovely! We also need to get the campfire set up with some extra logs! I've been looking forward to some campfire stories!" Kairi's mom giggled.

"I need to get the cooler out too!" Riku's dad chortled.

"I can help with that!" Riku offered.

"Me too!" Sora piped up.

"Race you?" Riku grinned.

"Oh you know it!"

"How do you two even have the energy?" Kairi laughed.

"Well I'm definitely not saying no!" Riku's dad laughed. "Go for it!"

It took some time to clear away all the dishes and pack the leftovers and put away the tables and chairs. So by the time it was all said and done with, the stars were almost visible and the campfire was underway with enough folding chairs and beach towels for everybody arranged around it. As promised, Sora and Riku raced each other back to the beach house to grab the cooler (Riku won) only to find it was much heavier than either of them expected.

"What did he pack in here, a body!?" Sora asked as he hoisted one handle while Riku grabbed the other.

"What, too heavy for you?" Riku teased, though it was a bit difficult on his end too.

"I'm so glad we don't have any stairs!" Sora groaned as he walked with Riku. The contents of the blue cooler between them rattled loudly as they made the short journey back.

"Just don't shake it too much or the drinks will fizz over!" Riku warned.

"Speak for yourself!" Sora jabbed though he was struggling a little bit due to their height difference.

"At least it'll be lighter when we have to carry it back," Riku laughed.

When they rejoined the group and set it down, both teens had to pop their sore wrists and Riku had to stretch out his back. But Riku's dad merely laughed at them and lifted it deftly to move it elsewhere like it weighed nothing at all. "Thanks, you two. Hope they're still cold!" he guffawed, making both teens frown.

Since they were the last ones back, they sat on a large beach towel together which suited them just fine, especially since Sora forgot to grab a hoody back at the beach house and decided Riku would be a great source of heat besides the fire itself. Soon the sounds of bottlecaps being removed from fizzy drinks came from all around as Riku's dad passed them out. The adults got beer and wine coolers while Kairi and Sora each got a paopu soda. But when it came to Riku, his dad snuck him a light beer, earning a look from Riku's mom but the dad merely laughed. "He's growing up too fast! I need to give him his first beer before it's too late!" he reasoned.

Riku and Sora tried so hard not to look at each other so they wouldn't give themselves away, but to be fair to Riku's dad, he hasn't ACTUALLY had a beer yet so that's something. Tentatively, Riku took a sip and sure enough, he hated it just as much as he thought he would. "Uh...it's great..." he fibbed, earning a snort from the smaller teen settled between his legs.

"Haha!" Sora's dad laughed. "I didn't like beer either at first."

Sora grabbed Riku's hand so he can sniff it from the bottle. "It smells so weird! What's it taste like?"

Riku took another sip. He wanted to say it tasted just as watery as the grog they had back in the Caribbean but their parents were listening in to hear his interpretation of the taste. "Like...bad watered down tea."

Riku's dad bent over with laughter while Kairi's dad nearly fell out of his chair. That definitely wouldn't have been the way they would've described it. "Wh-what do you mean by that?" Riku's dad asked between breaths.

"I dunno, like I can taste the plant matter?" Riku shrugged but he didn't stop drinking. It was getting easier to drink with every sip but he can't see himself liking it in the future.

"Want to taste a wine cooler, Kairi?" her mother asked quietly as she offered a sip from her bottle.

"Eh, sure," Kairi accepted and took a sip of what she assumed was going to be sweet drink based on its light pink color but the after taste left something to be desired. "What even is that?" she asked quietly, earning a laugh from her mother as she tried to chase it with her paopu soda.

Sora's mom laughed at the group, "Well I think it's safe to say we don't have to worry about these three."

"Well that remains to be seen," Sora's dad laughed. "Do you want to try a sip too, Sora?"

"Sure, I guess?" Sora looked to the beer in Riku's hand. "Can I?"

"Go for it," Riku happily handed it off to Sora who took a small sip at first but then took a larger one before handing it back to Riku. "Eh, it's not bad."

"You're just saying that to sound more manly!" Kairi laughed.

"No I'm not!" Sora protested. "I've tasted a lot worse!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Kairi goaded.

"Yeah, like what?" Sora's mom raised an eyebrow.

"Uhhh..." Sora backpedaled. "Never mind."

"Don't never mind me, young man. I saw the coal Santa left in your stocking!" she joked.

"Sora still believes in Santa?" Kairi's mom asked.

"Santa IS real!" the brunette pouted.

"Think you might be a lightweight, Sora," Kairi's dad joked.

"No, he's real!" Riku quickly defended.

"Of course he is," Riku's mom smiled sweetly, thinking that Riku's just coming to Sora's aide to spare his feelings.

"You two are so cute," Kairi's mom giggled, already on her second drink. "I don't think we ever talked about how you all met. We only became friends after Kairi began hanging out with the boys after all. I assume you were friends before that."

Sora blinked as he tried to remember. To be honest it's felt like Riku was just always there. He can't really remember a day where Riku WASN'T around. "Uhhh..."

"Well we've known each other since we were kids," Sora's dad indicated between him and Riku's dad. "We were in the same class and our dads were friends but we didn't see each other that much."

"But he did introduce us," Riku's mom spoke up.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that!" Sora's dad laughed. "And I didn't meet Sora's mom until after I graduated high school." He smiled fondly at her as he reached to hold her hand. "She flopped into my boat like a mermaid."

"Pffft," Sora's mom laughed. "I wouldn't have ended up in your boat if it wasn't in my way!"

"In your way how?" Kairi asked.

"I was surfing a huge wave and his boat just ended up RIGHT THERE!" she glared playfully at her husband.

"She was so mad, too!" Sora's dad chortled. "Calling me all sorts of names under the sun but to me it was like an angel fell from heaven."

"Awwww~" Sora and Riku cooed.

"Don't try and sweet talk your way out of it. I'm still mad at you about that," Sora's mom stuck her tongue out.

Kairi's dad laughed, "Really? Even after all this time?"

"It was a REALLY good wave," she huffed, making everybody laugh.

"I'll sweet talk you for as long as it takes," Sora's dad smiled, eyes crinkling as he stared at her adoringly.

"But let's see..." Riku's dad continued. "I don't think the boys met until we ran into each other again on the beach."

"That's right!" Riku's mom spoke up. "I remember that! We hadn't seen you two in three years! We just randomly ran into each other."

"Right right!" Sora's mom straightened up in her chair excitedly. "I remember! Riku ran up to us on his own!"

"Wait, I did?" Riku blinked.

"Yes!" Sora's dad also straightened up. "He was so small! You couldn't have been more than three, right?" he looked to Riku's dad who nodded with a big grin on his face as he too began to remember. "I remember this adorable little boy with silver hair running up to Sora like he knew him! But Sora didn't know any kids yet. He was only two and a half, so his mother and I didn't know what to say!"

"That's right! He just ran up to Sora and said "Hi, I'm Riku, what's your name?" He was so polite!" Sora's mom practically squealed as she recalled their first meeting. "And Sora's face just lit up! He was so afraid of strangers at that time, but he just looked at Riku and was like "Sowa!"" she imitated baby Sora's voice with a mumble. "He was still using a pacifier at the time, you see. I couldn't get him off of it if his life depended on it!"

Sora groaned, burying his face in his hands at his mom mentioning such a weird detail, but she continued.

"And then Riku said "Sorry, I didn't catch that. Isn't it easier to talk without a binky?" and wouldn't you know it, Sora took it out! He said "Sora!" and he never put it back in his mouth again after that!"

"Really!?" Riku's mom laughed. "I didn't know that part! He had gotten away from us when we were speaking to a cousin. I only looked away for a second and worried he had actually gone out into the ocean. We couldn't keep him out of the water for anything!" she snickered as she grabbed a second drink. "But we spotted him with you guys and it felt like destiny since we hadn't seen you in so long and the boys immediately got along so well!"

"I know, right?" Sora's mom giggled. "They played the entire time while we caught up. We had a hard time separating them when it was time to go. That's how we found out you ended up living so close by!"

"Yup! Even on the way home, Sora did nothing but talk about Riku. I don't think we've ever heard him talk that much before that. It was "Where's Riku going?", "When can I play with Riku again?", and "Want Riku!" It was so cute!" Sora's dad chortled while Sora's face burned beet red as he continued to groan into his hands.

"Riku was the same!" Riku's dad added.

"Wait! Dad, no!" Riku begged.

"He asked the very next day if Sora could come over!" Riku's dad laughed.

"He didn't even ask!" Riku's mom giggled. "It was more like he came up to me and said "I want to invite Sora over." like it was a demand, not a request!"

"AAAAAHHHH!! They were so cute!" Sora's mom squealed. "After that, we all just became much closer because those two couldn't go a DAY without seeing each other. It was like we both had two sons now instead of one."

"And then came Kairi!" Sora grinned over at the redhead who smiled back brightly.

"Thick as thieves, you three," Kairi's dad grinned. "Always getting my little girl into trouble."

"Nuh-uh!" Sora protested. "She had just as many bad ideas as we had!"

"Way to throw me under the bus, Sora!" Kairi stuck her tongue out.

"You get no special treatment!" Sora laughed.

"Yeah, remember when Sora and I had to rescue you from that sand bar?" Riku asked.

"I said I was sorry! The other kids told me it was called a sand bar because there were bars of gold there!" Kairi protested.

"Wait, what?" Kairi's mom asked.

"I went out to the sand bar to look for gold and I looked for such a long time that the tide came up. Sora and Riku saw me and took one of the row boats to get me," Kairi explained.

"Yeah, we got in so much trouble for that," Riku chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

Kairi's dad deflated, "You let me think you took her out on a stolen boat this entire time?"

"Well we didn't want HER to get in trouble!" Sora explained.

"Kids!" Sora's dad shook his head.

"But now we know better," Riku joked. "We're not taking the fall for you any more!"

"Oh come on!" Kairi whined. "If anything, I'm rescuing YOU TWO all the time!"

"Yeah right!" Riku laughed while Sora looked away with a guilty grin on his face.

"See, Sora knows it!" Kairi pointed.

Sora pretended not to hear, "Huh? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"YOU TWO!" Kairi raged, earning laughter from all the adults.

The laughs continued well into the night as the three families exchanged stories. Sora and Riku's dads had a few good times in high school where they've gotten into their own fair share of trouble, usually things that involved taking one of the boats from Sora's grandpa's shop to take on an ocean joyride after stealing a few beers from Riku's grandfather's stash. Sora's mom had an amazing story about how she had a close encounter with a shark when she was first learning how to surf as a pre-teen, something that before that she had only heard of in myths and fairy tales as sharks rarely come that close to the islands as far as she knew.

After Kairi's dad got a couple more beers in him, he asked about the teen trio's adventures in other worlds, something that sparked some limited story-telling from the three. Kairi could only speak of her time in the enchanted forest where she learned how to handle her keyblade and describe the world where she apparently came from. Though she still had limited knowledge of what it was like when she was a child, she explained there was a sense of familiarity whenever she explored the newly-restored gardens during her time there while studying in the lab under Ansem the Wise.

Riku didn't say much, rather he listened as Sora regaled them with stories of how he's sang with mermaids, hung out with talking snowmen, fought with pirates on the open seas, and learned how to cook from a very special French chef. Even with the finer details left out, Sora really knew how to capture all their imaginations as he told his stories with gusto while also managing to leave out things like the trials and tribulations that have left such a hard impact on him. Everything he talked about seemed like it came straight out of the fairy tales they used to read as kids and left Riku smiling as he sat and listened to these stories that he's already heard Sora talk about before, never tiring of how his eyes lit up and how his arms waved around as he spoke, miming clashing swords and frying pans and a conductor's baton.

By the time Sora started talking about fairies that made him clothes with really deep pockets, he was yawning between every other word. "Sorry...what was I talking about?" he asked as he began nodding off. The sounds of the ocean as the tide rose higher and higher was lulling him to sleep even as he spoke and it seemed to be doing the same for everybody else as well, though it could also have something to do with all the drinks they had consumed.

"Might be time to call it a night," Kairi laughed as her own mother leaned over in her chair.

"Heh, I'd say so," Kairi's dad agreed as he stood up and stretched. "You mentioned you trained under a chef, Sora?"

"Yeah?" Sora nodded as he stood from Riku's lap and offered the taller teen a hand up since he felt Riku falling asleep as well.

"How about you lead breakfast preparations in the morning?" he suggested with a laugh, though he wasn't being entirely serious.

"I'd love to!" the brunette smiled happily. "Leave it to me!"

The mayor blinked in surprise but then he smiled back. "I'll leave it to you, then!"

"You can count on me!"

"I'll make sure he wakes up on time," Riku snickered as he grabbed the beach towel and helped gather some of the chairs.

Sora couldn't even remember changing into his pajamas. It was almost like he blinked for one minute and the next minute he was dressed in an oversized t-shirt and pajama pants. Kairi was still using the bathroom and Riku was already getting dressed in his own pajamas, similar to Sora but wearing shorts instead. The brunette felt like a zombie as he started pulling down the sheets and arranging the pillows like he knew he and Riku preferred when they slept together, but instead of Riku getting into bed first, he was looking around for the thermostat. Thankfully the beach house was air-conditioned, but it hadn't been used in this room in a while, so it was still rather warm. If he had been sleeping alone it would've been fine, but knowing Sora was like a human furnace, he knew if he didn't want to wake stuck to Sora's back he'd need to find it quick!

"There it is!" Riku celebrated with a finger snap before turning the temperature down a couple of degrees, the air immediately kicking on. Pleased with himself, he made sure his gummi phone was plugged in (and Sora's) before hopping into bed and letting Sora settle in next to him. However, even as they snuggled close together, neither could fall asleep just yet because the light was still on. They left it on for her in an effort to be polite but they were quickly regretting that decision as it seemed she was taking forever to come out of the bathroom.

"You plan on sleeping any time soon, Kairi?" Sora groaned as he tried to bury his face into Riku to block out the light.

Riku also made a noise of discontent as he buried his face in Sora's hair which still smelled smoky after sitting next to the campfire for half the night.

Kairi came out of the bathroom with a green mudpack on her face, earning a yelp from Sora who didn't expect her to come out with a facemask. Even Riku's eyes widened in surprise at seeing her with her hair pinned back and wrapped in a fluffy white robe. "Oh grow up, you two!" she huffed. "You should try it! It helps repair sun damage...I think."

"Maybe some other night," Sora yawned. "Sounds like too much trouble."

"Do you sleep with that on?" Riku asked curiously.

"No, I'm going to be up for another twenty minutes," she explained, earning another groan from the other two. "Hey, night time skin care is important!"

"Do you need the light on for this routine?" Sora huffed.

"Just use the curtain!" Kairi sighed and reached up to yank at a curtain that lined the outside of the bunk bed. It didn't do a lot to block out the light but it was better than nothing.

"Oh, cool!" Sora laughed. "It's like a fort!"

"It's going to get stuffy in here, I can already tell," Riku laughed. "But thanks. Good night, Kairi!" he yawned.

"Night, Kairi!" Sora also yawned. "See you in the morning."

"Good night, you two," Kairi giggled before returning to the bathroom.

Sora fell asleep rather quickly, but Riku still found it hard to settle. He had automatically got into bed with Sora without thinking too much about it, but then he realized this was the first time he's actually shared a bed with the other teen in several months. Sure they've napped together on the couch a few times and they camped in the same tent during their trip with Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey, but sleeping together like this...the last time must've been during their Christmas vacation. _No...the last time was when I found out about Vanitas._ He remembered now, his brow furrowing as the memory made him frown into Sora's hair, his grip unconsciously tightening around the smaller teen who continued to sleep soundly in his arms. Even after Kairi had turned off the light and climbed up the ladder to sleep on her own bunk, Riku didn't fall asleep until long after he heard the last soft creak from the bunk above and that was only after he also leaned over and pulled the curtain back to allow more air flow once again. 

When he woke up again, Riku could immediately tell it was way too soon. Though he was sleeping comfortably before, he felt like he'd only gotten a couple of hours of sleep and judging by the lack of light in the room, that was probably the case. His eyes darted around in the dark as he tried to figure out what woke him up. Whatever it was, it made him feel uneasy, unnerved, even. He was about to close his eyes and go to sleep again, ready to write it off as nothing when he heard Kairi's voice whispering to him.

"Riku, it's time to wake up. Your mission, remember?"

"What?" he mumbled, forcing his tired eyes open again, this time seeing Kairi standing next to their bunk, staring at them in the dark. But her eyes were half-lidded, unseeing as they caught the barest glimpses of moonlight from the window. Her appearance startled him to say the least. He doesn't even think he heard her climb down from her bunk! "What are you talking about, Kairi?" he whispered.

"I'll go get the bandages," she whispered. "You can sleep for a few more minutes"

"Wait, Kairi--," Riku carefully sat up, trying not to disturb Sora who was still snoring softly, but by the time he managed to maneuver around him, Kairi had already left the bedroom and padded down the hallway. Now especially worried about their friend, Riku hurried after her, unsure of where she could have gone as he reached the hallway to find she had already disappeared from sight.

He wandered around the house, treading as quietly as possible while he listened for any noises that would indicate where Kairi might've wandered to. His heart pounding in his ears as he strained to listen over the sounds of the roaring ocean outside that constantly made itself heard like a persistent whispering in his ear. As he ventured past the row of closed doors where their parents all slept, he was startled by a loud grunt coming from the room his parents were sleeping in as his dad tossed in his sleep, the noise nearly giving the tense teen a heart attack!

Just as he managed to get his heart to calm down enough to keep moving forward, he heard a creaking of opening cabinets coming from the kitchen and began heading that way. Sure enough, there was Kairi opening random cabinets and pulling out items seemingly without any rhyme or reason and setting them on the countertop. Bottles of sauces, mugs, and a package of flour lined the kitchen isle as she grabbed items and set them there one at a time with slow, robotic movements.

"Kairi?" Riku approached carefully before turning on the light at long last. He was doing his best not startle her, but it seemed like Kairi didn't realize he was even there at all. "Are you sleepwalking?" he asked out loud in a quiet voice, mostly asking himself, of course. He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to disturb her parents at this time of the night but he didn't want Kairi hurting herself, either. What if she dropped something and stepped on it? He's heard stories like it was bad luck to wake up a sleepwalker and stuff but he's never actually seen it happen before, so he was stumped. Oh well, it's not like he's ever been that superstitious. "Kairi?" he asked cautiously, again walking carefully so as not to startle her. Once she set down the mug she was holding in her hands, he gently shook her shoulder. "Yoohoo? Kairi?"

"Justletmedothis..." she mumbled.

"Come again?" Riku asked. She was barely even moving her lips, her words practically inaudible. He doesn't even know why he bothered asking. After all, she's asleep so it's probably borderline nonsense. "Kairi, it's time to wake up now."

"Let me help. I want to help. Please let me help," she mumbled.

"Kairi, it's okay," Riku gripped both her shoulders to keep her from moving as she attempted to reach for the shelves again. "Kairi, Sora's awake. He's not hurt anymore. You can wake up now," he told her, practically pleading for her to wake up as watched her face for any sign of his words reaching her. His heart ached for her. Was this a normal occurrence? How often does she sleepwalk like this?

"It's my fault, it's all my fault," she continued to mumble.

"Let's get you back to bed," Riku offered kindly. If he can't wake her up, the least he can do is guide her back to her bed, right? "Come on, let's go," he whispered, taking both her hands in his and walking backwards guiding her one step at a time. She seemed to respond to his gentle tugging and it was slow going but eventually he did guide her back to the bedroom. Though once they got there, he hesitated. Would it be safe putting her back on the top bunk? As if to answer his silent question, as soon as he let go of her hands and let her feel the ladder, she climbed up automatically and flopped into the bunk rather unceremoniously, making it creak rather loudly when she landed. Riku flinched as he looked to Sora but the brunette didn't seem disturbed at all.

With a sigh of relief, Riku climbed halfway up the ladder to pull Kairi's blankets over her, ensuring she was tucked in properly before heading back to the kitchen to put away everything properly. It took a few minutes for him to figure out where everything went as he was unfamiliar with how things were arranged in this kitchen but it was better than leaving everything out to deal with in the morning. After all was said and done, he felt beyond frazzled, dragging himself tiredly back to bed to find Sora groping around for him in the dark.

"Riku?" he whimpered, half-asleep as he fumbled for the lack of Riku in his bed.

Riku let out a helpless sigh, smiling fondly as he crawled back into bed beside him. The teen was none the wiser to their changed positions, as he had already crawled so far to the other side of the bed that Riku could no longer go back to where he was originally, now having no choice but to spoon him from behind. From above, Kairi continued to mumble for several more minutes until she finally calmed. The whole experience had left Riku feeling unnaturally chilled so he once again pulled the drapes closed, not caring this time if it got stuffy again as he curled around Sora. Over the past couple of years he's gotten used to sleeping in unfamiliar places, or so he thought. This was definitely a first, feeling so unnerved even though his two closest friends were here with him.

The sea breeze gently rattling the windows should've been a familiar sound, like the whisperings of the sea, but hearing it just as he thought he was going to drift back to sleep set Riku on edge again. He was beginning to feel frustrated to the point that he let out a soft, audible groan into the back Sora's neck where he nuzzled the soft, wispy hairs on his nape in an effort to calm himself again. The innocent motion elicited a quiet moan from the sleeping teen, reminding Riku that he essentially just pushed one of Sora's buttons: the star-shaped scar on the back of his neck. "Sorry," he whispered, placing a chaste kiss on the area before moving down to nuzzle into Sora's shoulder instead, earning a cute coo from the sleeping teen. Whether Sora heard him or not, Riku wasn't sure, but the noise was cute nevertheless and had Riku smiling as he at long last felt sleep claim him once again.


	55. Destiny Trio Vacation: Part 1.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku's a little cranky.

Morning came way too soon for Riku's liking. He felt Sora stir first and gently pull himself away but Riku decided he wasn't done with him yet, so he reached out to grab him and pull him close again. The action elicited quiet giggles from the teen who pressed sweet kisses to his forehead. The gesture made Riku groan appreciatively, but he wasn't listening to any of Sora's protests about getting up to prepare breakfast.

"Nng," was his response as he wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and buried his face into his chest. Above them he could hear Kairi yawning and saying good morning before she headed for the bathroom first, the sound of running water unwelcome to Riku's ears. For some reason it just aggravated him.

"What's with you?" Sora asked quietly as he stroked two fingers through Riku's tousled mane. "Did you not sleep well?"

"Nn," Riku responded once more.

"You can sleep a little longer if you want. It's going to take some time for me to get breakfast ready anyway," the brunette offered.

"Stay," the silverette demanded quietly, yet firmly as he tightened his grip. "Just a few more minutes..."

Tentative fingers slipped beneath Sora's shirt, making the teen shudder as the featherlight touch borderline tickled. "R-Riku..." he whispered before bringing his lips to capture Riku's.

Riku reveled in the warmth of Sora's smooth skin against his fingers. The sounds of his soft breathing as he shuddered, the scent of his hair, and the taste of his lips soothed his tired senses as he melted against the teen, relaxing so much that sleep threatened to take him once more and he welcomed it with open arms.

Sora pulled his lips away when he felt Riku's breath become slow and even and his grip slacken on his waist. It appears that Riku had fallen asleep again. With the sunlight steadily pouring in through the windows and even penetrating the dark curtain of the bunk bed, Sora could now make out the bags present beneath Riku's eyes. He sympathetically kissed his temple and gently disentangled himself from the older teen, keeping his movements as minimal as possible so as not to jostle the bed and disturb him. Once he was safely out of the bed, he kept the curtain closed and even drew the window shades to afford Riku a few more minutes of sleep without the sun bothering him.

Just as Sora had finished changing into a fresh set of clothes (a light blue tank top and white cargo shorts), Kairi emerged from the bathroom and eyed the bed. "Is he sleeping in?" she asked quietly.

Sora put a finger to his lips and nodded, the two of them exiting the room together and carefully closing the door behind him before heading to the kitchen together. "He's very tired for some reason. I hope it's not because of me," Sora worried.

"Probably not. I mean I didn't hear anything. So maybe he's just cranky," Kairi shrugged. "Do you need any help making breakfast?"

"Maybe setting up the table," Sora yawned. "I think I have a good idea how to feed all nine while using some of the leftovers from dinner. I just need to figure out where all the cooking thingies are."

"The cooking thingies?" Kairi repeated with a giggle. "What cooking thingies?"

"You know, the knives and cutting boards and stuff," Sora explained. "And skillets!"

"Then say that! Don't say cooking thingies! You sound out of your mind!" she laughed.

"I AM out of my mind. I'm up earlier than I want to be and I'm supposed to be on vacation!" he whined.

"Then why'd you volunteer?"

"Your dad asked! And he's the mayor! Was I supposed to say no?"

Kairi only laughed some more while she hurried to show Sora where everything is. As he got to work, she looked through the cabinets for the dishes and mugs to set the table with, only to find that the mugs were in the wrong cabinet than she remembered. Though it was a little odd, she decided not to think too much of it. Meanwhile, Sora was quickly grabbing ingredients from the fridge and setting them on the counter, eggs, leftover fish, cherry tomatoes, etc.

Over the next few minutes, Sora's hands were a blur as he prepared breakfast. First he made a large batch of sweet scrambled eggs and then made quick work of slicing cherry tomatoes in half before putting them face down in a small skillet with 9 thick slices of bacon, essentially charring them a little before asking Kairi to set out nine plates which he then set four tomato halves on each one as an edible garnish. Then he had to work the eggs some more. Then he hurried to slice the tuna just the way he wanted it. He picked the leaner parts of the tuna and carefully seared all the sides to lock in the flavor while he simmered them in a light soy sauce and oil mixture just before plating each one yet and going back yet again to check on the eggs. Eventually the sweet scrambled eggs formed a nice large block that he cut into squares, almost as fluffy and springy as a cake, and served a piece on each plate. Lastly, the bacon was at last done and one by one he took each slice and rolled them into rosettes, letting them rest on a plate with paper towels to absorb the excess grease before arranging each bacon rosette on a plate with the tuna.

"Wow, Sora...this is...quite the assortment!" Kairi tilted her head at the final result. It certainly didn't look like any breakfast she's ever seen, but it smelled delicious and was certainly colorful!

"Might not be the biggest spread," Sora admitted. "But if anybody wants more, I guess I can always make toast or something to go with it."

"Well it definitely looks like a five-star chef created it!" Kairi praised. "Well done!"

They got to work setting the table and cleaning Sora's mess. One by one, their families started filtering in and joining them at the table. Soon there was nobody left but--

"Riku still not up yet?" Kairi asked as she went around with a pitcher of orange juice for everyone.

"I'll go get him," Sora volunteered and hurried back to their shared bedroom. When he pulled back the curtain, he found Riku hadn't even stirred from where he originally left him, still snoring softly as he remained halfway curled in a semi-fetal position. "Rikuuuuuuuu~" he whispered softly and gently shook his shoulder to rouse him. "Hey, handsome. Breakfast is ready. We're waiting on you," he coaxed, leaning over to cover the back of his neck in soft kisses. "Wakey wakey~"

Riku slowly opened his eyes and glared at the sunlight's rays pouring into his little haven but his expression softened as Sora continued to placate him with sweet little kisses. "Just eat without me," he groaned.

"What, you're going to let the food I so carefully prepared for you go cold?" Sora huffed playfully as he began tugging on Riku's hand. "Come on. Up up up! You can hibernate some more after you eat."

"Promise?" Riku groaned as he finally rolled out of bed. He grabbed the clothes he already had set out for today and did his best to hurry and put them on, running a hand through his hair in a half-hearted attempt to make it look slightly more presentable before following after the bouncy teen to the dining room where everybody was waiting for them.

Everybody praised Sora's breakfast once they all began to dig in. It was a light dish packed full of protein, perfect for another long day of play! The acidity of the tomatoes worked in perfect balance with the lean tuna and the sweetness of the bacon and scrambled egg. But even after all was said and done, Riku looked exhausted, his mother eyeballing him the entire time and urging him to drink more coffee but it did little to perk him up. If anything he looked more surly from everybody giving him attention. It also didn't help that in his rush he hadn't put in his contacts yet so trying to get his tired eyes to focus made his head hurt. At his silence over breakfast, his dad even jokingly asked if he was hung over from only one beer to which Riku only gave a half-hearted chuckle.

After breakfast was cleared away, everybody split off to do their own thing for a little bit with plans to go snorkeling later. Kairi wanted to check out the beach for sea shells. Riku looked like he wanted to take the time to thoroughly inspect the backs of his eye lids. With the promise of snorkeling in the early afternoon, Sora headed back to the room with Riku.

"Dink~" Sora grinned as he stood on his toes to boop his nose against the other's.

Riku helplessly smiled as he returned the affectionate boop with an eskimo kiss. "Dink~"

"So what's the deal?" Sora asked as he sat on the lower bunk while he dug through his rucksack for something. "You went to sleep the same time I did, right?"

"To be honest, I'm not even sure. I'm still wondering if what happened was a dream or not," Riku admitted as he also sat on the bed, only to roll over so that he was on the furthest side closest to the wall so he can avoid the light.

Sora adjusted the curtains yet again to block out the sun, dimming the room considerably before sitting back on the bed. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as he continued to rummage through his bag.

Riku shook his head. "It was so strange. I think I dreamed Kairi was sleepwalking. She kept saying things that didn't make sense."

"Sleepwalking?" Sora turned to look at Riku, now having what he was looking for. "How would she have done that without falling out of the bed?"

"That's the thing, I don't know!" Riku chuckled as Sora pulled the curtain closed. "Has she ever said anything to you about it?"

"No, nothing like that has ever come up," the brunette laughed. "Maybe it really was just a dream."

"Yeah, maybe. Regardless, it woke me up and kept me awake. It was so creepy. I don't even know what time I fell back asleep," he explained as he adjusted the pillow beneath his head.

"Well, hopefully this will help you get a good nap in. I'm kind of tired myself from making breakfast," Sora smiled as he snuggled up to Riku showing him the music box he brought with him.

Riku smiled at the small black box as Sora handed it to him, flipping it open to hear its soothing song; the melody of their hearts. "You brought it with you, huh?"

"Always~" Sora smiled fondly, kissing Riku's cheek before nuzzling into his neck. "Let's get you to sleep, huh?"

"Heh, okay," the elder teen sighed happily, setting the open music box aside so he can dedicate both hands to holding Sora as he drifted off to sleep.


	56. Destiny Trio Vacation: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Destiny Trio enjoy more fun in the sun with some surfing and snorkeling!

After a couple of hours, the boys woke up feeling refreshed. Riku's mood was much better and he was actually eager to put in his contact lenses this time because for the first time ever he was using disposable soft lenses! They felt much more comfortable! He didn't think he'd be able to notice a difference but after this, it'll be hard going back to his colored lenses for school. Sora was very happy to see Riku's pretty blue "I just woke up" eyes again and was looking forward to seeing them in their happy colors for the rest of their vacation. 

"Should we get our wetsuits on, you think?" Riku asked.

"Yeah! Maybe we can get some surfing in before we all go snorkeling!" Sora suggested.

Together, they grabbed the boards they brought along with them and hurried out to the beach where they ran into Kairi who had a basket full of colorful shells that she had found. "Look at this haul!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Nice!" Sora picked up a tiny red thalassa shell from the pile. "You found a lot of pretty ones!"

"Are you guys going to surf?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah. Hurry up and get your suit on so you can join us," Riku grinned. "I said we'd get you standing on the board before the end of the trip, didn't I?"

Kairi smiled broadly and nodded. "Okay! I'll be right back!"

While they waited for her to return, the two got to work waxing their boards. Both of them had wooden surfboards as theirs came from a collection that each of their families had. Sora's board was his mom's favorite board and Riku's used to belong to his late grandfather. There was a lot of history in the boards their families have accumulated and though they were old, they were so well taken care of it just seemed silly to bother buying new boards when they already had plenty to choose from.

"Think we'll be rusty?" Sora asked as he scrubbed the wax along his board.

"Who knows?" Riku shrugged. "It hasn't been that long has it?"

"I dunno, three years, maybe?" Sora pondered. "We've both gotten much taller since then."

"Maybe one of us has," Riku grinned.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Sora stomped before leaping over both their boards to tackle the other teen to the ground.

The older teen cackled playfully, catching the other and rolling over deftly to pin him to the ground on his stomach. "Got you~"

"You did that on purpose!" Sora growled as he struggled to get out from beneath Riku. "NO FAIR!"

"I think it's plenty fair~" the man purred into Sora's ear as he playfully ground his hips into Sora's backside.

"RIKUUUUUUUUUUUU!!" Sora blushed furiously as he continued to flail beneath him.

"Quit fooling around, you two!" Kairi huffed, now standing above them with her own board.

"Kairi! Have you come to rescue me?" Sora looked up hopefully.

Kairi shook her head hopelessly at the two of them. "There's no saving either of you."

"Got that right!" Riku grinned toothily.

"STAAAAAAAAAAWP!!" Sora continued to flail all his limbs and kick up a fuss. "LET ME GO!"

"No, I don't think I will."

"That's a shame. We're going to miss these waves," Kairi pointed out.

"Fine," Riku huffed and helped Sora to his feet, only to pull Sora close by his waist and nuzzle his nose against the other's. "Dink."

"D-Dink," Sora blushed as he returned the affectionate nuzzle.

"Quit dinking around, you two!" Kairi shouted, already halfway down the beach with her board in tow.

The two hurried after her with their freshly waxed boards and joined her in the surf, the three of them paddling out to a good spot to prepare to catch the next set of waves. They stuck with the tiny waves at first to get Kairi started, staying on either side of her as she got used to balancing on her board. As it turns out, she was out of practice, too. Go figure.

"You got this, Kairi! The next wave is all yours!" Sora encouraged. "Go on! Paddle in!"

"Okay!" she nodded with determination and paddled up to the peak of the wave while Sora and Riku politely paddled over it to give her some space. She then turned around and hopped atop her board, watching her posture just like she practiced and then whoosh! She was riding the wave! "I'm doing it!" she screeched happily. "I'm doing it, guys!"

"Go Kairi!" Sora hollered, fist in the air as he cheered her on.

"Fantastic!" Riku cheered as he applauded for her.

It was a short ride, but to Kairi it felt amazing! She straddled her board and turned around to paddle back over to where Sora and Riku were who each gave her high-fives of congratulations.

"You did it!" Sora cheered proudly.

"I did it!" the redhead smiled broadly. "Let's go again!"

One at a time, they each tried their luck at catching waves until Sora and Riku inevitably started competing over bigger and bigger waves. Kairi was having a brilliant time with the smaller waves, eventually getting so caught up in catching them that she paid the boys no mind. It wasn't until she finally turned around and noticed how far they had drifted off to get the big ones that she laughed and sat up on her board to watch and cheer them on.

Both teens paddled fiercely in an effort to out race each other to the peaks, having long decided that they were tired of being polite and taking turns. It was first come first serve! Occasionally they were able to each grab the same one if they went in two different directions. But eventually they got tired, wasting so much stamina at outracing each other that they came to a truce and finally started taking turns.

"Fine, the next one...is yours," Sora panted.

"No no..." Riku gulped for air. "You can have it."

"No, by all means," the brunette insisted. "You should have it. Why, you're not tired are you?"

Riku looked up, "No, not at all."

"Then take it," Sora grinned.

"Alright, alright," Riku sighed, knowing he had been got and hurried to catch it.

Sora sat back and watched. At least now he'd get a chance to watch and enjoy Riku's skills from afar. Despite the rigid appearance his muscular physique gives him, Riku moves with grace in whatever he does whether it be fighting with a keyblade or surfing. Watching him masterfully tame and ride a pristine blue wave at top speed reminded Sora of an elegant bird streaming over clouds. Just the way he rose and fell over the crest of the wave with minimal movements could take Sora's breath away. But towards the end, he could see Riku struggling as his stamina ran out and then he suddenly wiped out very ungracefully, board flying through the air as he fell back.

Sora struggled to hold back a laugh as he paddled over. "Wipe oooout~" he teased as he grabbed the chord attached to Riku's board and hurried over to bring it to him once his head popped out of the water.

"Thanks," Riku huffed, wiping the hair out his eyes before hopping back on. "Your turn, wise guy."

"Gladly!" the brunette grinned as he paddled out to catch the next one. Though as eager as he was, he was not prepared for the size of the wave that he got! "WHOA!" he cried out as he paddled as fast as his arms could allow to catch it. Even as he stood and rode, it got bigger and bigger so he hurried to go sideways to skim across, the wave curling over him in a giant tube as he rode his heart out. "WOOHOO!" he laughed as he rode out what was easily the biggest wave of the day. But then he felt something warm in his chest and in his pocket and looked down to see his chest GLOWING with a small bright light. "Wh-what?" He recognized this feeling. He knew exactly what it was, but he didn't understand WHY!

"SOWA!" the familiar voice of Stitch, the fuzzy blue alien, rang through his ears and with another bright flash of light, the creature was on the front end of his skateboard! "YIPPEE!! ROLLER COASTER RIDE!" he cheered.

"Stitch!? What are you--Hold on!" Sora called out and curled his body closer as the tube started to close around them, speeding up so that they shot out of the side, all the while Stitch screamed and shouted with delight.

"WEEHEEEEEEE! Aloooooooooo-HAAAAAA!" he cackled at the top of his little lungs as he clutched the end of the board.

"What the heck is that?" Riku stared as he watched Sora come out of the tube with a creature he had never seen before riding on the end of his board. Did he go through another dimension inside of that wave or what!?

Sora finally came to a stop and carefully straddled the board as they slowed down. He couldn't risk toppling over because he didn't even know if Stitch could swim.

"SOWA!" Stitch screamed excitedly yet again, crawling all over Sora in jittery little movements until he settled on his head and shoulders and licked the side of his face with his big, slobbery tongue!

"STITCH! Settle down, buddy!" Sora laughed as he did his best to hold steady. The little creature was a lot heavier than he looked!

"Sora!" Riku called as he paddled over. "Where did that thing come from? What IS it?"

"Am Stitch!" the little alien huffed with a nod. "Am cute and FLUFFYYYYYYYYYY!"

"Well he's--" Sora tried to explain but then he could feel whatever magic had summoned Stitch begin to wear off.

"BAI BAI!" Stitch bid farewell with one last sloppy lick to the top of Sora's head before disappearing in a cloud of sparkles, leaving Sora all cow-licked and bewildered.

Riku crossed his arms with amusement. "I'm waiting, Sora~"

"Sora!" Kairi called out as she also paddled over. "Where did that blue koala come from!?"

"Look, I dunno! And he's not a koala, he's an alien named Stitch. And usually I can summon him with my keyblade. But this time he just showed up on his own!" Sora explained.

"What!?" Riku stared, bewildered. "How can that be? You sure you didn't summon him yourself?"

"Why would I think about summoning anything while I'm surfing!?" Sora asked, though he was mildly panicking.

"OI!" a voice shouted at them from the shore. Kairi's dad was waving at them to come in. "We're getting ready to head out to the reef! Better hurry up if you don't want to get left behind!"

As they paddled back to shore, Kairi grinned mischievously over at Sora. "Wait 'til I tell Master Yen Sid you were violating world order~"

"HEY! I was not!" Sora scoffed. "Besides, even if I DID do it on purpose, WHICH I DIDN'T," he glared at Riku who he could felt staring at him. "It's not violating world order."

"How so?" Kairi asked suspiciously.

"Well as far as I understand it, since we don't exactly have a clearly defined rule book," Sora noted, "It means not meddling in the affairs of other worlds."

"Right...?" Riku quirked an eyebrow.

"This is my home world and anything involving me is considered my own affair and therefore I can do what I want. It's not meddling if it's my own business, right?" he said, though he wasn't entirely confident as he side-eyed Riku for hopeful confirmation.

"The logic...is sound..." Riku said hesitantly. "But there's still a fine line. Whether it's your own business or not, you still can't let on that you have abilities and stuff that clearly didn't come from this world or give others reason to believe that there are other worlds out there...so yes, I think summoning little blue aliens out of nowhere violates that order."

"But I didn't do it on purpose!" Sora insisted as they reached the shore.

Riku laughed, "I know you didn't. I think you're safe. Nobody saw you, so I don't REALLY think you violated any rules."

"HA! In your face, Kairi!" Sora grinned cheekily at the redhead, who kicked sand at him as they put their boards away in the storage shack to exchange for their snorkeling gear.

Despite the giant waves they encountered earlier, the water was calm around the beautiful reef and Sora couldn't even wait for them to weigh anchor before he grabbed his mask and snorkel and dived in off the top of the boat, much to his parents' dismay as they thought he was just being reckless. But once he dived in, it was clear to them that he had clearly done this sort of thing many times before as again, he swam with all the effortless grace of a dolphin. When his dad actually caught up to him, he grabbed his ankle to get his attention in an effort to scold him, but he could only laugh. "Were you a dolphin in a previous life?"

"No, but I was half dolphin on another world," Sora laughed.

"You failed to mention that!" his dad's eyes widened.

"Oh, didn't I say that when I talked about swimming with mermaids?" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I don't think you did!" his dad chortled. "Try not to scare the fish away, dolphin boy!"

"Okay, okay!" Sora laughed before he dove back under where Riku and Kairi were admiring a pink reef and taking pictures together. Together the three enjoyed the colors of the reef, the coral like a colorful garden underneath the sea with jewel-like fish coming out of every nook, cranny, and crevice. Thankfully the gummi phones were waterproof because Sora didn't think twice about whipping out his own phone from inside his wetsuit to take selfies of the three of them while schools of tiny fish swam around their heads.

Sora and Riku were eager to dive down deeper but Kairi was a little hesitant, so they each held her hands as they explored deeper together, marveling at how far down one rock went that had colorful blue and pink anemone spiraling all the way down to its base where little rainbow colored fish greeted them briefly only to disappear again. When the boys noticed what looked to be a small underwater cave, Kairi was hesitant about going in. When the three surfaced for a breath she said, "No way! If you two want to go in, you're on your own!"

"What makes you think we were going to go in?" Sora asked.

"I can see it on your faces! Yes, even with masks on!" she interrupted Riku who she could see opening his mouth in an effort to make a sassy retort.

"You're missing out," Riku said instead.

"Fine by me!" Kairi stuck her tongue out. "Have fun in your smelly cave while I enjoy the pretty fishes up here!"

"Cool! Quick, let's go before the adults stop us!" Sora giggled before taking a deep breath and diving down with Riku quickly following after him.

The opening to the little cave was quite narrow, only allowing one of them to go in at a time but Sora made quick work swimming inside before waving Riku in to follow after him to assure him there was enough space inside for both of them. There was still light so it didn't appear to be a very big cave, whatever it was. From the outside, it looked like a giant dark-colored rock with speckles of colorful coral all over its rough surface, but inside it was clear to see it had been hollowed out and worn down by time and the constant flow of the current. Inside the walls were smooth to the touch and algae desperately clung to its surface where little fish and sea snails were found nibbling away. Further in, it the cave suddenly expanded, tall enough for both teens to stand up in but barely wide enough for the two to stand side by side where they were amazed to discover trapped air when they dared to stand, the water coming up to their waists. It was a little surreal standing inside, all dark except for the light coming in through the water at their feet.

Curiously, Sora brought his phone out again and turned on the flash so they could see if there was anything on the ceiling that hovered barely a foot above Riku's head only to find it shined with a rainbow iridescence like polished mother-of-pearl! The sight prompted Sora to pop his snorkel out of his mouth so he could express his awe. "Whoa! Are you seeing this, Riku?"

"I am!" Riku also stared in awe, removing his mask so he can take in the sight as well. "I think we might be inside a petrified stump!"

"Petrified? You mean like it's fossilized?" Sora asked in amazement as he ran his hand over the surface. Sure enough, there were some vertical lines to it, like splintered wood. "That's so cool! I need to take lots of pictures to show Kairi!"

He snapped several photos with the flash on, but it took some time to get some shots he really liked as it was hard to capture all the brilliant colors with a brief flash and lack of light. Of course, he had Riku pose with him for some selfies too before he finally put the camera back in his pocket.

"You know, it's kind of romantic," Riku practically purred as he pressed himself closer to Sora and held him up to his level by his waist.

"Mmm," Sora hummed and smiled adoringly as he wrapped his arms around Riku's shoulders, his feet no longer supporting themselves on the sand below them. "But if we stay too long, they might worry about us."

"They probably haven't even noticed that we're gone," Riku pointed out as he rubbed his fingers along Sora's lower back over his wet suit.

"Nn!" Sora gasped through grit teeth. Even through his wetsuit, Riku touching the area where he had the biggest cluster of scars made little sparks of pleasure jolt up his spine, just enough for his toes to twitch--not enough to clench, but pretty close. "Maybe...a couple of minutes wouldn't hurt," he conceded just as Riku's lips were already an inch from his. He couldn't help the happy sigh that escaped him as he tilted his head to meet Riku's mouth, their noses barely brushing in Riku's haste for contact.

Soon the small cave echoed with their soft moans as they enjoyed a long, tender moment together. The water gently lapped at their waists as they explored each other's mouths, the salty taste of the sea lingering on both their lips. With each passing second, they felt themselves becoming more and more breathless and the limited air inside the cave was not to blame.

"I love you so much," Riku whispered as he pulled away to take a breath.

"I love you, too," Sora whispered back. "So much."

"We should...we should probably leave," Riku chuckled nervously. Though he was hesitant to suggest it, he had a feeling they'd already been down there too long as the water had risen about an inch or so up their waists.

"Right," Sora nodded and pulled away from Riku so that he could put his mask and snorkel back on. Once they were both ready, they nodded to each other and Sora went down first, groping the sandy bottom and using his hands on either side of the cave walls to propel himself forward towards the light he could see at the other end.

Riku followed him, surprised that he just didn't go back out the way they came but he wasn't against exploring just a little further, as he could see the light as well. When they emerged, they found themselves on the other side of the large rock. They couldn't see anybody, but they could hear them splashing and talking nearby even over the sounds of the water splashing against the rocks.

"That was fun!" Sora chuckled. "Guess we should head back over."

"Yeah, let's do that. I'm starting to get hungry, too."

"Yeah, it should be lunch time!" the brunette nodded enthusiastically and the two opted to just swim around the rock this time. No sooner had they started going back, however, Sora felt the familiar warmth in his chest again. This time, in another flash of light, the waves danced around them into a whirlpool before Ariel arrived before their very eyes! "ARIEL!"

"Ariel!?" Riku stared dumbfounded. "Why'd you summon Ariel?"

"I didn't mean to!" Sora insisted just before the mermaid grabbed both their hands and began dashing with the both of them in tow at top speed towards their destination.

Both teens held onto her hand as the water rushed past their faces, neither really grasping the situation until she suddenly disappeared in a cloud of sparkles and they found themselves only meters away from the others.

"Oh, guess she was just giving us a ride back," Sora chuckled.

"That doesn't explain ANYTHING!" Riku almost shouted, splashing Sora for his lack of information.

"Come on, you two!" Kairi shouted from the small yacht. Apparently the other parents were already climbing on board. "We're going back!"

"Coming!" they both shouted back before hurrying to join them on deck.

"Find any mermaids down there?" Sora's father joked.

"Well actually--" Sora started but Riku swiftly elbowed him in the side to keep him from speaking.

"Oof!" Sora stopped himself, earning a raised eyebrow from his father. "That is, I mean to say, I think we found something better than a mermaid."

"What could be better than a mermaid?" Sora's mom laughed. "Or merman."

"A giant tree cave!" Sora replied cheerfully, now thoroughly confusing everybody.

On the way back to the villa, Sora showed them all the pictures he took of the cave they just explored. The others were eager to show the footage they got as well of all the sea life they encountered with their own cameras. Once they reached the shore, however, there was suddenly a change in atmosphere. Suddenly everybody was quiet and yet in a hurry...and a little dodgy, to say the least.

"How about you get changed?" Sora's mom suggested.

"What, we're not going back out?" Sora asked, wondering why he was getting singled out.

Riku caught a look from Sora's mother and quickly backed her up. "We can just use our swimsuits if we want to go back in the water later. Come on!" he urged, grabbing Sora's elbow to quickly drag him to the bedroom. Behind them, Riku turned his head and saw Sora's mother mouth to him "Twenty minutes" to which he nodded in understanding.

Sora was dragged along without complaint, but the whole thing left him rather bewildered. "What was that about?"

Riku smirked at the confused look on Sora's face. He had a good feeling he knew what was going on and he was almost mad at himself for not realizing it earlier during his grumpy, sleep-deprived episode, but he wasn't going to let it on now. Very slyly, he closed the door behind him with his foot and locked it, the loud click from behind him making Sora tilt his head in a silent question.

"You just worry about getting undressed," Riku continued to grin, reaching behind himself to un-velcro the tab on the back of his neck and pull down the string attached to the zipper, slowly pulling it down and peeling the top part of his suit down his chest in a suggestive fashion that prevented Sora from tearing his eyes away. Now knowing he had Sora completely distracted, he made an effort to flex his arms and tighten his abs as he pulled his arms out of the suit, further punctuating his muscles for the brunette's enjoyment, the other's face getting redder and redder by the second. By the time he had the suit hanging halfway down his waist, Sora looked like he was going to drool all over the carpet, to which he smiled coyly, "Do you need help?"

"N-no!" Sora stammered, quickly turning around so he can concentrate on getting his own suit off, but Riku was already at his back, his warm digits already grazing Sora's neck as they deftly fingered the velcro there and slowly peeled it off. Next came the zipper, the sound and feel of it descending down his spine as Riku slowly pulled it down left Sora shuddering. He knew Riku was teasing him for sure now! "Rikuuuuuu!" he whined quietly in case anybody could hear them.

"What?" Riku snickered quietly into Sora's ear, hands diving inside the back of his wetsuit over his shoulder blades and down his arms to slowly peel it downwards. "I'm helping~"

"Yes, but you're being kind of shady," Sora murmured as he felt himself leaning back into Riku, shivering as his back met the warm and slightly damp skin of Riku's chest.

The taller teen chuckled darkly, choosing not to retort. Instead, he stopped peeling off Sora's wetsuit, leaving his arms trapped in the sleeves and leaned his head down to kiss Sora's neck.

"R-Riku!" Sora whimpered, now completely at his mercy, his arms stuck and his waist now trapped in Riku's strong arms. "What are you up to?"

"I don't know what you're talking about~" he insisted rather unconvincingly as one hand slid upwards over Sora's chest and the other drifted further down to--

Sora gasped! "Nonononononono!" he begged. "What if--"

"Don't worry, they're all going to be too busy to bother us," Riku assured him as he palmed his front. "Just relax," he whispered into the shuddering teen's ear. "I got you~"

"Riku..." the brunette whimpered the other's name again, now shivering even more at the silky tone of the other's voice in his ear and the gentle ministrations being applied to his most sensitive areas. Just imagining what Riku could possibly have in mind made his face flush even redder than before and he couldn't hold back an audible moan as Riku continued to nibble and nip at his neck and jawline. "Just...just don't leave any marks," he whispered, granting Riku his consent. "They'll see."

Riku smirked into his warm neck. "You got it," he promised.

"Are you really...while I'm in my suit?" Sora asked brokenly.

"You can rinse it out in the shower when we're done," Riku said simply, earning one last groan from Sora that quickly evolved into a moan which Riku had to stifle with his free hand whilst he stuck his other hand down the inside of Sora's suit to grasp his length.

"Mmph! Mmph!" Sora's knees trembled as he moaned into Riku's hand, his hips bucking into the other one that already brought him to full attention in almost no time, which wasn't too difficult to do considering the steamy make-out session they had only an hour ago. As much as he trusted Riku's judgement (even in situations like this), the thought of potentially getting caught lingered in the back of Sora's mind, making the situation all the more exciting, even more than he cared to admit. He could only pray that Kairi wasn't going to show up for a change of clothes in the next few minutes.

"Sora..." Riku moaned into the brunette's ear, now bucking his own hardness into Sora's tight backside. This wasn't going to take long at all.

Gods, Riku's voice sounded so erotic and NEEDY in Sora's ear. It was enough to make him moan into Riku's palm again as he breathed hard through his nose. There wasn't a lot of room for Riku's hand to move in his tight wetsuit, but just having his hand there at all and the tight heat with the bare amount of friction he WAS able to provide was already close to sending him over the edge. "MMMPH!!"

Riku heard his pleas loud and clear and held him firmly against his body to support him as he felt Sora's knees slowly giving out. "I got you," he whispered. "You can do it. Cum for me."

"MM-MMPH!" Sora's eyes screwed tightly shut as he threw his head back against Riku, hips bucking madly as he thrust into Riku's hand with what very little leverage he had while he came all inside his wetsuit. He breathed hard through his nose as stars lit up behind his eyes, his body trembling violently as wave after wave of pleasure rushed through his veins. It was so thrilling, so naughty, and it all happened so fast! It was almost too much for him to wrap his head around. He couldn't even believe this was happening right now! For a moment, it even seemed like he blacked out because the next thing he knew, he was being bent over the bed, his face hitting the mattress and Riku was sliding down the back of his wet suit even further to expose his rear end. By now his arms were free and he grasped at the bedspread, but before he could get a word in, he felt Riku's hot and hard length against his backside. "R-Riku!" he moaned into the bed, scrunching up the blanket in his fists near his face in an effort to use it to muffle his cries as the bed creaked beneath him. He was beyond worried now about being heard. There's no way nobody wouldn't guess what they were up to if they heard the bed moving this much!

Sora looked downright delectable with his ass in the air, completely pliant and boneless beneath Riku. "Sora..." he moaned the other's name yet again as he leaned down to kiss down his neck and spine, his hands gripping both sides of his soft rear and parting them to rest his length between them before gently thrusting against him. Sora's soft skin felt heavenly against his engorged length and as the teen moaned beneath him all he could do was press himself closer to him and hold him tightly as he continued to whisper his name over and over in a mantra as he felt himself reaching climax. "Sora...you feel so good...Sora..."

"Riku...Riku..." Sora moaned softly at the praise, adjusting himself to give Riku a better angle, but other than that, all coherent thought had gone out the window. For a few more moments he could hear nothing but Riku's breathy moans and the sounds of Riku's flesh slapping against his and then there was wet heat splashing all over his back and then it was over! The next thing he knew, he felt the bed bounce as Riku flopped onto of it next to him. Sora didn't dare move from where he was, only lifting his head to see Riku lying beside him, chest heaving and his quickly softening erection dripping on his own abdomen. Upon seeing him, Sora squeaked and buried his face back into the blanket, unsure of what to do or say so instead he reached over blindly for Riku's hand. "Dink," he mumbled.

"Heh, dink," Riku chuckled breathlessly and squeezed Sora's hand. He took a moment to catch his breath before sitting up and grabbing a discarded beach towel to wipe off Sora's back so that the other can finally get off his knees without making too much of a mess. "Now's probably a good time rinse off," he suggested.

After they both showered, dressed into some fresh clothes, and opened the window to let the room air out, Riku finally unlocked the door to let Sora out. "You go on ahead, I need to grab something."

"Oh, okay!" Sora shrugged and began walking back towards the living area while he fumbled for his gummy phone and the thalassa shell he stashed in his pocket. He felt a little bad nicking it from Kairi's collection this morning but there was something about it that really drew him to it. Besides, she probably wouldn't miss it. With one last look at it, he stuffed it back into his pocket and thumbed through his phone as he continued to walk through the hall. When he got to the living room, he was a little surprised to find it completely empty but the kitchen looked a little ransacked.

"Hm?" he scratched his head as he looked around, the only other sign of life was Riku who quickly caught up to him. "Hey, do you think everybody's outside?"

"Most likely," Riku shrugged, sneaking a glance out the window when Sora wasn't looking to see if there was any activity going on outside. Sure enough, he could see everybody scrambling so he hurriedly grabbed Sora and pulled him into a lip-searing kiss to distract his attention from the windows.

"Hmph!?" Sora yelped in surprise before succumbing to yet even more kisses, the taller teen scooping him up and flopping with him on the couch. "Wait!" Sora pushed against Riku's chest to push himself away. "What's gotten into you?"

"Just a few more minutes," Riku promised but when he leaned his head to grab even more kisses, Sora put his hand up to stop him.

"NUH-UH! Something's up, I just know it!" the brunette protested. "What are you trying to pull?" His eyebrows rose high as he studied Riku's face for any sign of a clue, "Am I being pranked?"

"No, you're being kissed," Riku answered slyly before cradling the back of Sora's head to resume kissing him, the teen's weak protests quickly dying down as he gave into Riku's advances yet again.


	57. Destiny Trio Vacation: Part 2.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprises are in store!

Riku had managed to distract Sora with their makeout session on the couch for several more minutes, the teen in his lap only somewhat oblivious to what was going on. While they kissed, Riku kept sneaking glances out the window in an effort to see if the preparations outside were ready, all the while making sure Sora didn't suspect a thing and look out the window for himself. It was no easy task as Sora was clearly antsy for a few moments since he was worried about anybody walking in on them sucking face in the living room. Eventually, however, he did manage to get the other to calm as they lazily enjoyed each other, allowing themselves to revel in the tender moment.

Just when Riku felt himself beginning to tire (after all, distracting Sora is hard work) he got a text notification from Kairi on his gummi phone telling him that he could come out with Sora now.

Kairi: Come out the back door  
Riku: Blindfolded?  
Kairi: No. Just make sure he comes outside first.  
Riku: 10-4  
Kairi: Over and out.

Sora was thoroughly enjoying this time with Riku, even if the elder teen was acting pretty suspicious. Now that other desires had been sated during their earlier activity, there is no sense of urgency. There wasn't the need to rush as they held each other and kissed. It was slow, soft, and sweet. Just slow, soft, sweetness where he can just focus on how much he enjoyed kissing Riku...and he enjoyed it VERY much. So when Riku's phone vibrated between them, it startled him a little. Though grateful for a chance to catch his breath, his brain was too fuzzy to comprehend Riku telling him it was time to get off the couch.

"Huh?" Sora blinked.

Riku chuckled and brushed a stray lock of hair from Sora's face, "I said we should go outside and join the others." He smiled fondly at the brunette, whose face was still cutely flushed and now had slightly bruised lips which he thumbed gently. "We can pick this up later if you want."

"Promise?" the teen grinned goofily.

"Haha! Sure!" Riku promised before gently urging him off his lap. "Let's head out the back way."

He let Sora walk ahead, the item he had retrieved burning a hole in his pocket. He was suddenly starting to feel very nervous but kept quiet as Sora opened the back door. Together they walked down the sand path to the beach to be greeted by--

"SURPRISE!!!" everybody screamed as they jumped out of the high brush, startling even Riku by how well they were hidden!

"WHAAAAAAAA!?" Sora yelped, jumping nearly six feet and comedically landing in Riku's arms.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SORA!" they all cheered again before shooting off party poppers that rained colorful paper confetti all over the sand.

Sora blinked several times before Riku carefully put him down. He didn't even realize today was his birthday! "Aw, thanks, guys!" he smiled broadly just as both of his parents assaulted him with a giant hug and forced him to hold still while they stuck a silly party hat onto his head. "HEY!" he laughed and just as they pulled away, both Kairi and Riku were on him to give him birthday kisses on each cheek...AND PINCHES on each arm. "OW!! Can't I just have more kisses instead!?"

"Don't you want to grow, Sora?" Kairi grinned.

"Now don't you start!" Sora stomped his foot in the sand, earning a laugh from everyone. Behind them on the beach, Sora can see they've already set the tables up again and there was a homemade sheet cake in the center of it lined with candles. Beside it were also plates of food including mostly grilled and barbecued items! The smell wafting from the food was already making him so hungry!

"Come on, let's eat before it gets cold!" his mom urged.

"Right!" the brunette chuckled, following behind the eager group. But then he started getting that warm feeling in his chest again. "Oh no oh no!"

Riku heard his quiet panic and turned around to see Sora clutching his glowing chest as if he was trying to hold something back. "Sora, wait!"

Kairi turned around too, "What's going--"

But before she could even ask, there was a flash of bright light that blinded everyone. Once it cleared, nothing seemed to have happened for a moment, until a big bouncy blue creature dashed cross the sands to tackle Sora to the ground.

"BUMPIS!!" Sora shouted as he squeezed the squishy Meow-wow that squeaked happily as it licked his face.

"What the heck is a Bumpis!?" Kairi cried out.

"It's so cute!" Sora's mom squealed.

"Where did he come from?" Sora's dad asked. But before anybody could answer any questions, even more dream eaters started appearing!

Komory Bat whizzed by Riku's mom, completely startling her as it rushed to Riku's side to nuzzle his face affectionately. Kooma Panda appeared beind Riku's dad, who turned around to see the big round creature completely overshadowing him. Pegaslick, Electricorn, Cyber Yog, and Yoggy Ram came galloping along the shoreline. Me Me Bunnies started crawling out from under the table along with Necho Cat and Majik Lapin. The ground VIBRATED as Zolephant made its appearance and greeted everybody with a loud trumpet from its trunk! Peepsta Hoos and Eagliders flew in from the sky! It was complete and utter colorful chaos as more and more dream eaters arrived to wish Sora a happy birthday, all of them flocking to the brunette to give him hugs and squeezes and nuzzles and in meow-wow's case, beg for pets.

"You guys!" Sora laughed happily, too happy to see his friends to really care about world order at the moment as he got buried beneath all the squishy and fuzzy creatures.

The other parents were at a loss for words, all of them surrounded by the bouncy, happy creatures that paid them no mind as they scattered all over the beach.

"Guess we have more party guests than we originally expected?" Kairi's mom laughed nervously.

"Are these guys from another world, Sora?" Kairi's dad asked as he knelt down to observe a Wheeflower.

Riku's mom looked out on all the cute, cuddly chaos, unsure how to feel about any of it besides shock, until she noticed komory bat nesting in Riku's hair. The sight made her break into a wide smile and she found herself unable to hold back her giggling as it cooed cutely on top of Riku's head. "That one really seems to like you," she observed.

"Yeah, we're best buddies," Riku smiled. Komory chirped and Riku looked up. "Huh? Sure, I'll introduce you. Mom, this is Komory. Komory, this is my mom and that's my dad."

His mom did another long blink as her son communicated with the creature but decided not to draw attention to it. "Nice to meet you, Komory?"

The little fuzzy bat made a happy squeak but made no other moves, just burrowed further into Riku's hair and continued to chirp some more.

"Wait, Riku! You can actually talk to them!?" Sora stood up, holding a now reasonably-sized Bumpis in his arms.

"What, you talk to them too, don't you?" Riku asked.

"I mean, I talk TO them, but I don't understand anything they're saying back!"

"Really?" the silverette blinked.

"You still haven't explained what THEY are!" Kairi pointed out.

"And our food's still getting cold!" Riku's dad pointed out.

Sora had expected these summons to disappear as quickly as the others had that day, but these guys seemed to hang around so there was really nothing he could do except let them happily play on the beach while he and the others enjoyed their lunch. While they ate, he barely managed to explain what the dream eaters were and that they should disappear any minute now. Much to Riku's relief, they were able to dodge the question as to why Riku was able to communicate with them while Sora couldn't. Sora expected a string of more questions, but all the parents seemed to take it in stride as they were amused with watching all of their antics as they played in the sand.

"Do you think they're hungry?" Kairi's mom asked.

"I don't think they can eat anything here," Sora answered. "Besides, it's more like...they're here in spirit. They're not actually here with us...I don't think." No sooner had he said that, Bumpis started wailing in his lap, tears gushing out of his eyes as he was clearly upset about the notion. "Aw, don't cry, Bumpis!" he tried to comfort the squishy sad boy with pets but all it did was roll on its back and flail its tiny black feet in the air as it threw a tantrum in his lap.

"You're so spoiled!" Riku huffed at the dream eater's antics while Komory seemed to chirp with equal amusement from atop his head. Bumpis did NOT appreciate that comment, no sir, as evidenced by how it suddenly stood up and glared at Riku with bright pink eyes.

"Hey now, you two, don't fight!" Sora scolded.

"Omigosh, Riku! Are you jealous of Bumpis?" Kairi called out.

Riku aimed a swift kick at Kairi under the table who barely managed to dodge it while she giggled her head off. "YOU ARE!"

"Aww, Riku!" Sora blushed.

"When are they going home?" Riku growled as his cheeks began to lightly dust with pink.

"Why did you even summon them, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" the brunette insisted. "It's been happening all day! Actually, now that I think about it..." Sora's face lit with realization as he dug into his pocket to retrieve the little red thalassa shell he filched from Kairi's collection basket that morning. "I felt something in my pocket whenever I summoned them. Maybe it has something to do with this?"

"Wait! Didn't you take that from my basket this morning!?" Kairi huffed.

"I didn't think you'd miss one shell!"

"Let me see it," Riku snatched it without even really waiting for Sora to give him permission and held it up to the light of the sun. The supposed shell wasn't even an inch long and though it was red and yellow and had the shape of a shell, the light shining through it told a different story. "I don't think this is a thalassa shell."

Sora tilted his head. "It's not? Then what is it?"

"I think it might be a sliver of a star shard," Riku explained. "Mickey told me once about how he swiped a star shard from Master Yen Sid and that it randomly transported him places, namely to Terra, Aqua, and Ven. Maybe the one you found has randomly brought your summons to you instead."

"You mean the one _I_ found," Kairi huffed as Riku handed it back to Sora.

"A star shard, huh?" Sora looked down at the tiny thing in his hand with fascination. But even as he stared at it, the brilliant red color began to dim. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Kairi asked.

"Uh..." Sora wasn't sure how to explain it, but before he could even try, the star fragment began splintering until it suddenly burst into tiny sparkles of light, completely disintegrating before his very eyes. "Wha--Where'd it go?" When he looked up again, all the dream eaters he summoned began disappearing in small bursts of light, each of them waving good-bye as they disappeared one by one. "Aw, I wish they could've stayed a little longer."

"Well, that was an adventure an a half," Sora's mother chuckled. "Shame they had to go. But now we can have cake, right?"

"Right!" Sora laughed.

After they sang happy birthday and Sora blew out his candles, the simple chocolate cake was served and just after Sora took his first bite, his gummi phone began blowing up with messages from all their friends wishing him a happy birthday. He happily munched on cake with the others as he read through them, awkwardly typing with one hand while he ate with the other. After cake, it was time for presents, or so it seemed Kairi had decided as she slid a small package wrapped in newspaper to Sora first.

"Aw, thank you, Kairi!" Sora beamed happily as he accepted the present. There was something familiar about the weight even before he opened it. He playfully gave it a little tap before ripping off the paper to reveal a brown leather-bound journal with a gold crown stamped on the front. The pages looked like they were made of parchment and had a texture that Sora really liked, almost like an old tome! He's written in Jiminy's journals and even added a few pages but he's never written in his own journal before! "This is so cool! Thanks, Kairi!"

"You're very welcome!" Kairi clasped her hands together with delight, elated that Sora really seemed to like the present.

Next, Sora's parents gifted him what appeared to be a handmade side satchel! It was made of black and red leather and attached to the waist and thigh. It reminded him a lot of the side pockets he used to have on his old clothes. The new leather smelled like his dad's shop and he easily recognized the careful stitching as his mother's handiwork. Just thinking of all the hard work that went into it made his eyes a little watery. "I love it so much! Thank you!" he gushed as he practically leaped across the table to embrace the both of them tightly, the both of them returning the hugs in kind.

"We're so proud of you," Sora's dad murmured as he hugged him tightly.

"My baby boy's a man!" his mom practically sobbed as she buried her face into Sora's shirt.

"MOM! Don't cry, please!" Sora begged as he kissed her on the cheek.

"But it's not fair! You're supposed to stay small and cute forever!" she wailed dramatically, though it was very clear to Sora that she was joking so he burst into a fit of giggles at her antics.

"He's STILL small and cute," Riku chuckled, the comment causing Sora to break away from his parents to get up all in his face as he fumed.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Sora shouted as everybody else laughed at his expense.

"How about I just give you this instead?" Riku smiled smugly before offering Sora a small, flat cardboard box.

Sora blinked as he took the small box into his hands. It reminded him of a jewelry box! The implication immediately made his face red. "W-wait, should I really open this here?" he stammered.

"What are you talking about? Just open it already!" Riku huffed, crossing his arms as he half-turned away.

Everybody watched Sora curiously as he slowly slid the lid off the top of the box. The look of anticipation on his face quickly turned to one of bewilderment as the contents were revealed to him. It was a small silver key with a tiny paopu fruit and heart charm keychain attached. Confused, he held up the key by the keychain to look at it properly. "A key? What's it for?" Riku's mom and dad immediately gasped as they saw the silver key glint in the light and Sora's mom looked like she was about to cry again. All the attention was making Sora very flustered and Riku still wasn't looking at him. "Somebody please tell me what's going on!" he begged.

"It's the key to our place, dummy!" Riku whirled around to finally face him, his cheeks a brilliant magenta.

Sora's own face reddened at his words, his heart now suddenly feeling too big for his chest as he struggled to repeat Riku's words, "Our...place...?"

"Yes! It's still far from finished, but there's enough space that you can start moving stuff in if you want," Riku explained, his voice nearly breaking as he too seemed to struggle to speak.

"We'll need to do something about that," Riku's dad spoke up. "I say we organize a house-raising party."

"What?" both teens gasped.

"I agree," Sora's dad spoke up. "If you'll let us help, that is."

"We'd love the help! Right, Riku?" Sora turned to the silverette who was still reeling from the suggestion.

"Yes! Yes, of course!" he nodded. Having more people would definitely make it easier. There were just some tasks he and Sora couldn't hope to achieve on their own.

"We should get our other friends to help, too!" Kairi laughed. "I know the others from Radiant Garden would LOVE to help!"

"Oh right! We were going to invite Cid!" Sora remembered.

"That sounds swell!" Kairi's dad cheered enthusiastically.

"Whoa whoa, let's slow down for a minute," Riku laughed. "We're here to celebrate Sora's birthday, remember?"

"That's right!" Sora laughed before launching himself into Riku's arms to give him a big kiss. "Thank you so much for my present. I...I can't wait." 

"Same here," Riku smiled as he held Sora tightly.

"You two are so cute," Sora's mom gushed, the two quickly breaking apart out of embarrassment. "But how about we get everything cleaned up! There's still a whole day of beach play ahead of us and tonight...we're telling scary stories by the fire! Bwahahaa~"


	58. Destiny Trio Vacation: Part 2.8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's spooky time! The Destiny Trio and fam gather around to tell ghost stories by the fire and do some paranormal investigation!

The group spent the whole afternoon playing on the beach. They hunted for crabs, gathered shells, played frisbee, and even had a sand castle contest (Kairi's family won). By the time dinner was over and the sun had set, it had gotten considerably more chilly.

"A storm's on the way," Riku's dad said matter-of-factly as he helped gather firewood for the evening.

"All the more perfect for campfire stories!" Sora's mom laughed as she helped get said campfire lit. "It's not going to be here for a few more hours anyway."

"Yeah, but it's cold!" Sora pouted from where he was sitting on a towel with Riku. Even with the two of them wearing their super groupies hoodies, Riku's arms wrapped around him, AND a blanket around the both of them, Sora wasn't satisfied.

Riku laughed as he nuzzled the back of Sora's head. "You're just whining for attention. You've been much colder than this," he pointed out.

"It's my birthday, I'm allowed to whine!" Sora grinned cheekily. Riku was probably right, though he won't admit it.

"You're about to get even more chilled once your mom gets started with her stories!" Sora's dad chuckled.

"Can't wait," Riku grinned.

"I can!" Sora pouted. "She's too good at the scary stuff!"

"BWA-HA-HA!" she suddenly cackled from behind them and gripped their shoulders, scaring the both of them silly as neither even noticed she had walked behind them.

"MOM!!!!" Sora shrieked.

"Hehehe~" she giggled in a voice that sounded like an old cartoon witch. "Got you~"

"Yes, you did," Riku smiled weakly as he urged his heart to calm down. This might not be as fun as he thought.

Riku's dad brought out the cooler with the drinks and Kairi and her mom brought out bags of snacks for everyone to pass around and enjoy, weighing them down with rocks when they weren't being used to keep them from being blown away as the winds began to gently pick up. Once everybody settled in their spots, whether that be on blankets or in beach chairs, the story-telling began!

The first stories to be told weren't really that scary, more like they were creepy local legends that the dads themselves grew up hearing. Stories of haunted abandoned convenience stores that no longer exist and the like so the teens really had no frame of reference or nearly as much investment as the adults seemed to, but they politely pretended to be creeped out anyway. But after all the adults got a couple of drinks into them, it was clear that they weren't buying that the teens were scared at all and kept trying to one up each other with even scarier tales. The entire time, Sora's mother kept noticeably quiet with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She had yet to tell any stories but it was clear she was holding back and waiting for her moment to shine.

Kairi's mom decided she wanted to go next and spoke in a soft voice that could barely be heard over the wind and the crackle of the fire, forcing everybody to listen really closely. "There was a girl," she started. "Who was in love with a boy. And the boy loved her back. She was very pretty and always wore a green ribbon around her neck."

Riku could already see where this was going but in his arms he felt Sora tense up as he held onto her every word. He could see Kairi leaning towards her mom, too.

"Why do you always wear a green ribbon, he asked. And she would tell him it's a secret. Will you ever tell me, he asked? And she said, maybe one day." Kairi's mom took a sip of her drink and continued, again using quiet voices but a deeper one for the boy and a sweet, albeit high-pitched, one for the girl. The story carried about the two of them growing up together. They started dating and even got married. For every milestone, he'd ask about the ribbon. "Now that we're married, he said, you have to tell me about the ribbon around your neck. And she said you still have to wait~." They lived their whole lives together. Then one day, the lady with the ribbon was finally on her death bed, sick and frail, and barely able to breathe. By now, everybody was hanging onto Kairi's mom's every word. The suspense was beyond killing them at this point! Sora was squeezing Riku's hands and Kairi looked like she was about to fall out of her seat. "It's time," she said in a shuddering voice, "For me to finally tell you about the ribbon around my neck. Take it off for me. The man carefully unwrapped the long ribbon, around and around, and then..." she paused, "HER HEAD FELL OFF!!!" she suddenly shrieked, earning a jump from everybody!

"AAH!" Kairi yelped, jumping back in her seat as her mom had suddenly reached out and grabbed her with cloying hands just to make it all the more intense for her daughter, which the princess of heart clearly didn't appreciate.

Sora had jumped, too, but he was laughing, and so was everybody else, each of them applauding for her. "Thank you, thank you!" she laughed. "I think Sora's mom should go next," she voted.

"Are you suuuuuuuuuuuuure?" Sora's mother grinned impishly to be met with several nods.

Sora held Riku's hand in anticipation. He's heard enough of his mom's NORMAL stories to know they were going to be in for a ride.

"This is a story I heard when I was in high school," she began, lowering her voice while speaking slower to set the mood. "There was a girl no older than you three," she looked to the teens ominously, "And she was very much in love." While Sora and Riku resisted the urge to look at each other, the parents looked at their significant others as if they had a feeling they knew where this was going. Kairi was already on the edge of her seat, halfway in her dad's chair. Said father chuckled and wrapped an arm around her and she quickly took the invitation to sit in his lap so he could give her a protective dad hug. The wind was beginning to pick up, the rustling of the nearby trees sounded like whispers in the air.

"As you know," Sora's mom continued, "Dating in high school is forbidden. So she had to see the boy in secret. Though the boy claimed to love her just as much, he was a coward." She said it pointedly, her voice now ice cold. "They wanted to be alone together, but no place was good enough for him. She began to lose all hope of being able to carry on their forbidden romance until one day, he suggested a place." She paused for suspense and spoke even quieter to emphasize the air of secrecy between the two lovesick teenagers. "Meet me behind the bleachers, he said. The girl was confused. Did he mean the bleachers behind the soccer field? Outside? Hardly seems secretive, she said. No, he said. The ones in the gymnasium, after everybody's gone. She was hesitant. After all, she'd have to wait a long time for clubs to be over before she'd be able to sneak in unnoticed. Wouldn't it be dark by then? She was nervous, but she agreed. And so they set to meet that Friday evening after school...after basketball...after all the teachers have gone home."

Sora did his best to keep quiet, already so full of questions, but he had to remind himself this was a ghost story. The finer details weren't always that important.

Sora's mom took a quick sip of her drink before carrying on. "And so, she went. She waited and made her way to the gym. The school was so quiet and many of the lights were already being turned off. The area behind the bleachers was really dark, even with the lights still on in the gym. She had to be careful not to hit her head on the metal bars, support beams, and pivot joints. The longer she waited, the darker it seemed to get. Soon half the lights were turned off. Then...there was a loud CLICK!" Everybody gave a little startled jump but she gave no pause, instead there was now a little rush to her voice, perfectly illustrating the adrenaline that the girl must've been feeling. "And then, ALL the lights were off. It got so quiet. All she could hear was the buzzing of the lights as they cooled down. Then she heard footsteps. Was it her boyfriend? Was it a teacher? To be safe, she went further behind the bleachers, keeping her eyes trained on the opening, searching for any sign of her boyfriend while she waited in the dark. She heard it again....more footsteps from the entrance of the gym. At last, she thought, it must be him! She was beside herself, so excited but so nervous too about their secret little rendezvous. But then...another loud click...and then BOOM!" She suddenly lifted and slammed down the lid of the drink cooler next to her, making all of them jump and yelp in surprise, especially Riku's dad who spat out several quiet curses but Sora's mom was on a roll and she wasn't stopping! "The bleachers suddenly started moving! They were closing in on her! WAIT, she screamed, I'M BACK HERE! But for whatever reason, nobody could hear her. She ran as fast as she could to try and escape, but the machinery behind the quickly folding bleachers was blocking her way out. She couldn't escape in time. The bleachers crushed her to death."

Sora and Kairi gasped audibly and Riku winced inwardly. What a terrible way to go.

"The weekend passed," Sora's mom continued, now resuming the story at a slower pace, the tone now tragic and somehow even more ominous. "Monday morning came...and somebody found teeth on the gymnasium floor."

An uncomfortable chill went down all their spines and it wasn't just from the wind. Kairi had her hands clutched over her mouth and Riku's mom looked like she was going to be ill.

"The discovery of the teeth eventually led them to search behind the bleachers where they discovered the crushed girl's body, virtually unrecognizable as her head had been crushed so hard that it burst and sent her teeth flying everywhere." Sora's mom paused to let it all sink in and even though most of her audience was now looking queasy (especially the ones who have had more to drink) she continued. "To this day, they say she still haunts the gymnasium, waiting for her cowardly boyfriend to show up. They also say...if you're in the gym at night with the lights off...and stand behind the bleachers...you can hear her teeth clicking in your ear." She lifted her beer bottle and clicked her nails on its surface. Clink. Clink. Clink. Her posture then relaxed and she flopped back nto her chair, signaling the end of the story and earning a sigh of relief from everyone. "So don't go making out behind folding bleachers, kids!" she laughed to lighten the mood again but another gust of wind made the fire crackle and a loud POP came from one of the logs, startling all of them nearly half to death. Kairi and her mom let out a small scream and Sora only gasped really loudly, but Riku could tell by the way the brunette was gripping his now very sore hand that he was scared out of his wits. Finally, they all relaxed and had themselves a laugh, applauding Sora's mother for the story.

"Seriously though, mom, teeth popping out of her skull? That's so gross!" Sora practically gagged.

The woman cackled, kicking her feet with glee as she leaned back in her chair. "Hey, I'm not the one who made up the story! We were ALL told that one in high school, right?" She looked to the other parents for confirmation, but they all shook their heads in denial.

"Huh..." Sora's mom shrugged and took a sip from her drink. "Anyway, guess I get to pick who's next!" She grinned devilishly at Sora, who only just now calmed down from the fire popping jump scare. "I think it's Sora's turn!"

Sora blinked. "Me? Um, okay...uh..." he tilted his head and furrowed his brow in thought. He had tried thinking of stories earlier as he had a feeling his mom would expect him to participate, but that was a hard story to follow up on. Plus he felt like he was at a little bit of a disadvantage. Most of the stories he's good at telling are closer to fairy tales than they are to spooky campfire stories. Then again, there is the one...Suddenly his face broke into a grin and he separated from Riku to stand and throw another log on the fire.

"This story," he began, "SHOULD have been a ghost story, but there's one problem." He paused and swept his gaze across his audience, "The people in this story are neither dead...nor living."

"Ooooh~!" his mother squealed excitedly, already hanging on to his every word.

Sora swallowed back a laugh at his mother's enthusiastic interruption and tried his best to set the mood up again, staying close to the fire and pulling his hood over his head to further darken his features. The light of the flames flickering on his face made his shaded features look downright spooky, especially now that his normally cheerful disposition took on a more serious and solemn expression. But even after such a spooky start, he began the story with his normal story-telling candor, like he was about to tell an epic tale of adventure. "Not so long ago, on an ocean far, far, far from this one, blood-thirsty pirates sailed the open seas in search of legendary treasures beyond their wildest dreams; a treasure that can only be found on the Isla del Muerta, an island so mysterious that they say it can only be found if you already know where to look. One lone ship and her crew braved the dangerous waters. Known to all as The Black Pearl, she was a vessel with a history as dark as her sails and said to be the fastest ship ever known with a captain equally as mysterious. Upon reaching the island, they found the legendary treasures and much more! Surely, they'd be set for life."

He paused, his expression suddenly growing darker, the firelight casting deeper shadows in the hollows of his eyes as he tilted his head down. He spoke quieter, his tone harsher and laced with such foreboding that it sent a shiver down everybody's spines (except his mom who instead of shivering looked like she was resisting the urge to happy clap). "But it was not meant to be. Overcome with greed and jealousy, the captain's first mate organized a mutiny with the crew, taking the treasure and The Black Pearl and then marauding their captain on a small spit of land in the ocean with nothing but a pistol with one shot. Later, only one dared to speak up on their former captain's behalf. For speaking up, they tied him to a cannon by his bootstraps and threw him into the sea, sending him straight to Davy Jones' locker!"

"That's horrible!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Mm-hmm," Sora nodded to the testament of the pirates' cruelty. "And so, with treasure in hand, the crew were off to spend their newfound fortune. But there was one detail that the former captain and first mate knew that the others didn't. You see, amongst their spoils was a chest...a chest filled with one thousand ancient and very cursed gold doubloons. Doubloons, that legend says, would curse you beyond all mortal imagination, damning you to an eternity of neither life nor death; a cursed existence 'til the end of time for any of those who would dare trespass across the chest's contents. The first mate, now captain, didn't believe in the old ghost story and he ad his crew frittered away the gold on food and drink and all the pleasurable company gold could buy."

Sora's dad coughed loudly, choking on his drink at the mention of "pleasurable company". Sora paused the story so his dad could recover. Riku chuckled nervously and looked at Sora to see the teen's eyebrows were slightly raised as if confused by his dad's reaction. The brunette was clearly trying to hide it but now it was more than obvious to Riku that Sora didn't even know what "pleasurable company" heavily implied. Nevertheless, Sora managed to recover from the interruption and continued after his dad gave him a thumbs up.

The waves of the sea seemed to crash even louder and the wind gusting through the trees howled, as if to encourage him to continue the tale. Faraway lightning flashed on the horizon, a sign of the storm to come, yet still silent in its approach. "It was only then they began to realize something was very...very...very wrong. They began to suffer an unquenchable thirst," he spoke louder, his tone now haunting as he picked up a handful of sand off the ground and let it slowly fall from his hand. "Food turned to ash in their mouths. Sleep and dreams would no longer come to them. They could feel no pain, nor pleasure." The sand spilled from his hand smothered the fire briefly, casting an even dimmer and more ominous glow on his face for a second like that of a flash of lightning.

The young keyblade master began pacing a slow circle around the fire. They were now all under his spell as he looked each of them in the eye and continued recounting the horrors the pirates began to face. "They couldn't feel anything; not the spray of the ocean on their faces or the warmth of another person's touch. Slowly, they began to realize, even thought they were being driven mad as the moonlight revealed what they truly were...CURSED!" He suddenly shouted with a heavy snarl, earning a yelp of fright from everyone, but he gave no pause to recover as he held up a hand to the sky as if reaching for the low-hanging moon. "Cursed, wretched, undead beings with half-rotting flesh falling from their skeletons! Decaying shadows of their former selves, the only visual manifestation of their suffering on full display in the light of the moon. They searched for answers, unwilling to endure an immortal existence of endless suffering."

Sora paused and gave them all a bitter smirk. "They did find a way to remove the curse. It required sacrifice; an offering of blood to be repaid by every crew member who took a doubloon from the chest as well as returning each and every last medallion." Sora picked up one of the small sticks meant for firewood and broke it down into several small pieces before throwing them into the flames one by one. "One by one they regathered the cursed treasure, sailing the seas until they tracked down every last doubloon they could find. Twenty years they spent searching, offering not only their blood, but also offerings of gold, amassing ten times, no, maybe even one hundred times more than they had originally plundered, desperate to appease the source of their never-ending living torment. But despite all their efforts, they only managed to gather 999."

There were murmurings of "oh no" all around the campfire and then Sora's mom gasped in realization, "Wait, wait! The one they can't find--"

"That's right," Sora answered for her, "Poor Bootstrap Bill had one of the medallions. Its whereabouts were unknown and the blood to be repaid was now forever lost to the sea." He ended the story there and took his seat back on the blanket with Riku, earning praise from the group for a job well done. Sora's mom applauded, but it was clear she was dying for more. Unfortunately, Sora wouldn't be able to continue even if he wanted to, not without revealing his involvement and going into further details that would undoubtedly lead to even more questions that would derail the whole evening.

"As creepy as that was, does that even count as a ghost story?" Kairi asked jokingly, only to be answered with a resounding yes from everybody.

"I mean, I sure found it to be haunting, I dunno about you," Kairi's dad chuckled. The whole group groaned at the pun just as a clap of thunder rang in the distance, making them all jump!

"Should we call it a night?" Kairi's mom asked.

"It'd be a shame to stop now. The storm's still a fair distance away," Riku's mom sighed.

But then Sora's mom lit up! "We can continue in the living room! We'll turn off all the lights, light some candles, grab some flashlights, it'll be fun!"

"I think that's a great idea!" Riku's dad agreed, already standing up to help put out the fire and gather the chairs. "In the meantime, Sora has to decide who gets to tell the next story."

* * * * *

By the time they gathered inside and settled in the living room, thunder could be heard rolling outside. They settled in the living room in cushions on the floor gathered in a circle just like before. The lights were turned off and candles were lit on the surrounding bookcase and end tables. They managed to find a flashlight and once they all grabbed a refill of drinks they were ready to continue. "Sora, have you decided?" Riku asked, silently the begging it not be himself. He still hadn't thought of a good story that would fit the overarching theme and he didn't consider himself a good storyteller either, the only audience he's ever really had being Sora who loved everything he's ever told him but some bias might play a role in that. Sora seemed to pick up on his silent plea and gave him a reassuring smile before turning his head to cheekily grin at Kairi. "Oh Kairiiiiiiiiiiiiii~," he sing-songed. "You're next!"

"Me?" she pointed to herself in surprise. She was totally expecting that Sora would have picked Riku. She looked at the older teen sitting behind Sora who was now giving her a smug grin and she scoffed, sensing conspiracy! "Fine then!" she agreed taking the offered flashlight from Sora who continued to grin at her. Unfortunately for him (and perhaps everyone else) she had just the story to wipe that silly grin off his face. "In a land far far from this one, there's a beautiful city known for its picturesque gardens and its futuristic technology that made it a peaceful Utopia for all those who lived there."

It was a strange start for a ghost story to be sure but nobody interrupted. Riku had a strong feeling he knew what city she was referring to, his interest certainly piquing. Kairi clicked the flashlight on and turned it towards her face so that the bright light cast haunting shadows over her normally soft features. Her demure smile sharpened into a thin line and the mood suddenly switched like a light. "But even in this peaceful town there were dark secrets. Stories of missing children were beginning to spread and rumors of screams coming from the castle where the town's scientists resided were rampant. The adults dismissed the stories and rumors , claiming that the missing children must have just run away, if they even existed at all. But the children know," she added darkly. "The children remembered. They noticed their playmates disappearing. Friends vanishing and parents not remembering as if their entire existence vanished into thin air. Not just from the town but from everybody's hearts as well." She paused and took a deep breath, avoiding the deep stare she knew Riku must be giving her before she continued. "But the children remembered," she said again. "The children know and so they looked out for each other and kept the story alive to warn the other children, for they knew the sinister force behind it. A man, they said. A man dressed in white with dark skin, yellow eyes, and long white hair."

Sora and Riku both swallow their gasps. The description sounded awfully familiar. They nervously waited for their friend to continue, the already dark tale now turning even darker for them. "They say he snatches kids from the streets and steals them away to his castle. There, they say he keeps them locked in the basement. Nobody knows for sure what happens down there, but some say he keeps them in the dark until it smothers the light in their hearts and they become darkness themselves."

She paused again, looking everyone in the eyes before continuing, "They also say that sometimes, just sometimes, he will turn you into somebody completely different. He steals your memories, gives you new ones, or sometimes nothing at all. And then finally, if you survive, he puts you in a box and sends you to a new world where no one will ever find you...and nobody will remember you." When she finished everybody's jaws were on the floor. There was a very long uncomfortable silence as everybody either was afraid to say anything or were just struck speechless. "Uh, the end," the redhead stammered, ending the uncomfortable silence as she fumbled to turn off the flashlight.

Finally Sora spoke up. "That was very spooky, Kairi!" he chuckled, bringing levity back to the room. "I didn't know you had it in you!" 

"Now THAT'S how you tell a ghost story!" Riku's dad praised. "None of that cheap jump-scare stuff.

"You're just mad that you actually got scared!" Sora's mom huffed, knowing the slightly inebriated man was totally taking a jab at her. "Jump scares are an art form!"

Kairi giggled, happy that everybody seemed to enjoy her story even if it hurt her to tell it. She hid her pain with a smile just like Sora was kindly doing. But she could feel Riku's eyes on her, unblinking, intense, and filled with concern. "It's Riku's turn next!" she declared, thrusting the flashlight into his hands to finally interrupt his gaze.

"Oh...um..." he stared down at the flashlight. "I don't know don't even think I know any good stories. Does anybody else want to try?" He tried offering up the flashlight, but there were no takers. Instead they all cheered him on and coaxed him into at least TRYING.

"The worst thing that can happen is that everyone falls asleep," Sora's Dad encouraged with a good-natured chuckle. "And even if we do, you can blame it on the beers!"

Riku laughed. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Alright I'll give it a shot." Everybody gave a quick cheer and silence fell again as they paid him their undivided attention. To be honest, having all their eyes on him in the dark made him even more nervous. He was supposed to be the one telling a story yet the audience seem to be the ones doing all the spooking. "So...um..." he stalled by separating from Sora and the brunette quickly scooched to the side so everybody could see him more clearly. The older teen's mind raced to think of things that scared him that had nothing to do with any of the harrowing experiences he's had in the past couple of years. It needed to be something simple, something relatable. The only thing that scared him recently that he can think of was Kairi herself, specifically when she had her sleepwalking episode. He hasn't had a chance to bring it up, unsure if it would embarrass or upset her. He also didn't want to admit how much it creeped him out too. Maybe he could use this to his advantage. "So there's this wandering Spirit who lives on these very Islands, a trickster spirit with..." he paused, his brain clamoring for details. But then he noticed Kairi looked distant, depressed even, and he was struck with the desire to distract her from whatever thoughts were causing that sad look on her face. "With a thing for redheads!" The finished sentence earned a quiet snerk from his dad and had everybody giving Kairi a sideways glance. The teen must've felt all the eyes on her because suddenly she looked up and began paying closer attention, her expression of sadness turning to one of morbid curiosity. She also looked suspicious, as if she was unsure whether or not Riku was singling her out with the intent of teasing her. "Supposedly," he continued, "he likes to follow them home but he never shows himself. In fact you wouldn't even notice him if it weren't for his one quirk."

He paused for an attempt at suspense and turned the flashlight on to aim it at his chin like the others have done and pretended he didn't just temporarily blind himself as he hoped it had the spooky effect on his face that he intended. "At night, he goes through the kitchen, and just...LEAVES STUFF EVERYWHERE!" He shouted the last part, his best attempt at a jump scare, but the only one that seemed legitimately startled was Sora. Probably because he was sitting the closest and because he had to dodge Riku's arm to avoid getting smacked when he flung them out dramatically to try and get a big reaction.

"Oh no, how terrible!" his mother wailed. It was a little patronizing but Riku appreciated the effort. At least she seemed amused.

"His favorite thing to do..." he awkwardly continued after receiving nothing but chuckles of pity, "Is to take out the mugs and rearrange them in different cabinets!" he glanced over at Kairi to read her face, to search for any signs of recognition. He expected her eyebrows to raise, maybe even a frown if she suspected she was the butt of a joke, but instead she seem thoughtful as if she were piecing together a puzzle . "You know," she spoke up, which Riku was glad for because he really had nowhere else to go with that, "Something like that happened here. I was trying to help Sora with breakfast this morning but everything in the cabinets had been rearranged and the mugs were in the wrong cabinet altogether! Even at home I've noticed my mugs have been on the counters a lot too!" She gasped! "I thought I was just going crazy! Do you think it actually exists? Do you think it followed me here?" she asked, now starting to sound mildly panicked. 

Riku gave her a long blink. He felt a little guilty but he also found this hilarious, especially now that Sora was gasping along with her. "Oh my gosh, that's so spooky Kairi! Is it really true?!"

"Yeah!" she squealed, "It happens like every couple of weeks! Like I KNOW I put the mugs away when I did the dishes the previous night but then the next morning, THERE THEY ARE! All over the counters! " she was almost shrieking with frustration and it took everything Riku had to not laugh as he clapped a hand over his mouth and chin and as he listened, muffling himself while trying to look thoughtful instead while she ranted. Their parents were all starting to laugh, almost convinced at this point that Kairi and Riku had planned this little back and forth to make the story seem more authentic but Kairi's ranting suddenly made it more comedic than anything else, even as she gave them all desperate and exasperated looks. "I'm being serious you guys!" she insisted. "What if the spirit followed me here? What if he's still here right now?" she asked, now starting to sound mildly panicked.

"Then I guess you're cleaning up the mess he makes it the morning," her dad joked playfully.

"What!? Why me?" Kairi demanded, fists clenched at her sides as she fumed, clearly not finding any of this funny but the adults were in stitches. It didn't help she that she also looked so cute with her cheeks puffed out like that, death glare or no.

"Because he's your guest isn't he?" her dad chortled while his wife slapped him on the arm to get him to stop teasing her even though she was also one of the ones doubling over with laughter.

"Don't worry, Kairi!" Sora stood up with a determined look on his face. "We will stay up tonight and catch the mug stalker in the act! Won't we, Riku ?" he looked to Riku who stared back, completely dumbfounded. This definitely took a turn. He looked to Kairi who was looking at him hopefully and then to Sora's stupid, trusting, and completely clueless face. Just how gullible were these two? He started to feel even worse as the two waited for an answer like they were depending on him. "Suuuuuure, " he groaned. "Let's catch us a ghost." No sooner had those words left his lips did the sky suddenly crackle with lightning, the roll of Thunder deafening as the windows shuddered from a violent gust of wind. The noisy interruption silenced all laughter and they turned their heads to look out the window. The rain was coming down hard now, the sound of the water droplets pelting the roof was almost deafening as it disrupted the previously spooky and quiet ambience that they were aiming for a while ago.

"I'd say we continue," Sora's mom practically had to shout now to be heard over the storm, "but I can't even hear myself think!"

Kairi's mom got up and turned on the light. Everybody winced as their eyes adjusted but it was a preferable change from the from the strobe effect they were getting from the lightning outside. "That was a lot of fun!" Riku's mom hummed happily as she helped blow out all the candles and return them to their original spots.

Sora's dad checked the time on his wrist watch and let out a loud whistle. "It's really late. I think I'm going to hit the hay." He looked to his wife and to Riku's dad, "We're going to have to wake up early tomorrow if we want to catch the waves that are going to be coming off after this storm's over."

"Now you're talking!" Riku's dad broke into a huge grin.

"YES!" Sora's mom fisted the air excitedly. "Time to see if momma's still got it!"

Riku's mom laughed, "In that case, how about I make us all breakfast tomorrow?"

"But you've done so much already! Let me do it!" Kairi's mom insisted.

"Are you sure? This lot will be awake before dawn!"

"I don't mind!" Kairi's mom laughed. "We can cook together!"

"Sounds like a plan!"

Sora's dad looked to the three teens. "How about you three? Are you actually going to stay up late and do your little ghost hunt?"

"Yes!" Kairi answered for them, much to both Sora and Riku's surprise.

"Well, okay then. Try not to be too loud," he smiled though he looked at Sora directly as he said this.

The teens bid them all good night and were left alone to their own devices as the storm continued to roar outside. There was a bit of an awkward silence as neither Sora or Riku knew what to say. Riku felt bad that the little white lie even got this far. Sora felt bad for egging her on and even suggesting that they stay up in the first place as now that all the excitement was over, he was starting to feel really sleepy himself. Kairi, however, looked amped up and was already digging her phone out to see if they could record any ghost voices on it.

"Uh...Kairi...you know I made that story up, right?" Riku approached cautiously. "The mug stalker isn't real."

"He could be! I mean how else would you explain what's been happening? Even if it's not a spirit, it could be a ghost or even some kind of heartless!" Kairi reasoned.

"Kairi..." Sora said gently. "There aren't any ghosts here."

"How would you know, Sor-raaaaaah? Do you see dead people?" she sassed.

"Actually--"

"And there aren't any heartless here, either," Riku quickly interrupted. "There haven't been any heartless on the islands since...well...you know. And anyway, I'm sure there's a very logical explanation for all of it. Something that doesn't require us staying up all night," he reasoned. Even if admitted to making up the story, he couldn't bring himself to tell Kairi she was sleepwalking and based on what she what she said, it sounds like it's been happening for a while. Plus, after hearing her haunting story, which was a lot to unpack in itself, he didn't have the heart to potentially add on any more potential emotional baggage to her already heavy load.

"But Rikuuuuuuuu!" Kairi whined. "It could be fun!"

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be more fun if we got a good night's sleep so we could better enjoy our time tomorrow?" Sora suggested. "Tell you what, how about we set up one of our gummi phones? I'll ask Tron to record any activity that happens in the kitchen until morning. How's that?"

That was actually a fantastic idea. Riku was pretty impressed. "I like that idea."

"You would," Kairi puffed out her cheeks in a pout. She wanted to have a little adventure with the two, but they both had a good point. Besides, there's only so much fun to be had while staying up all night doing absolutely nothing. "Fine, let's ask Tron."

It took a little time finding a good spot in the kitchen with the best view and access to an outlet so it can stay charged, but once they figured it out, Tron said they were good to go with the promise he'd record any and all movement in the kitchen until breakfast time. With the assurance that the program was on the case, the boys finally convinced Kairi to go to bed.

But even after they all said good night and tucked themselves into bed, falling asleep was proving to be difficult as the storm raged on outside. Sora, predictably, was already sound asleep. Riku, meanwhile, couldn't get himself to stop thinking about Kairi's story, his brow furrowing as he idly stroked his fingers through Sora's hair in an unconscious attempt to calm the storm of his thoughts. Kairi had always claimed that she could remember nothing from her childhood before she came to the islands but...could that story have possibly been a memory? If so...the man she described sounded an awful lot like Terra when he was possessed by Xehanort. And if that's the case, could her younger self actually have had a connection to Xehanort? Just the implication of it, the mere possibility twisted his stomach into painful knots and he found himself pulling Sora closer to himself. He had so many questions but he was afraid of the answers he would get, if there were any at all. _There's no point in bringing it up, though. Xehanort is gone. It doesn't matter anymore._ At least that's what he tried to tell himself.

Kairi shivered in her bed as the thunder continued to clap outside, resisting the urge to cry out and hide underneath the blankets. It was so loud! Too loud! A flash of lightning lit the room with a split second of blinding light followed with an exceptionally loud crash of thunder, the commotion bringing memories of an exploding mine cart coaster flashing before her eyes. She stifled a sob as she shoved the memory aside, trying her best not to recall when the foretellers shot them out of the sky while Sora tried to get them all out of danger with his attraction magic. She felt so stupid...about everything. Why did she care so much about mugs getting rearranged in the kitchen? Why did she tell them that story? She doesn't even know where it came from, if it's even real or if it's just something she made up. It just feels like a nightmare she's had before. That must be it. It did sound like a nightmare a young child would have. But even so...why does it still make her heart clench whenever she thinks about it? Frustrated with herself, she clutched at the bedspread balled beneath her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to mentally block out the sounds coming from outside. Instead, she tried to focus on the sounds of her best friends sleeping beneath her bunk. Her ears searched for the sounds of their breathing, hoping their calm sleep would inspire her to be calm as well. Predictably, she heard Sora's soft snoring first and couldn't keep the smile from forming on her face. But then her smile quickly turned to a concerned frown as she heard something else. It sounded like Sora had started whimpering.

She felt terrible, but somehow knowing that Sora still has trouble sleeping too also made Kairi feel a little better. Then again, she was also a little envious. After all, he had Riku to hold him through the night. But...they're here now, right? So if Sora's having trouble sleeping too, then maybe...? She swallowed hard before swinging her feet over the edge of the bed to climb down the ladder. Down here, she could clearly hear Sora crying out, even over the sounds of the storm. But what she didn't hear was Riku. That seemed a little strange to her. "Sora? Riku?" she asked quietly before slowly pulling back the curtain that enclosed the lower bunk. "Are you a--" she froze! A pair of glowing magenta eyes glared at her from the dark, their gaze piercing even as they stared at her seemingly unseeing. A flash of lightning lit the room briefly, revealing the eyes belonged to Riku whose body was curled protectively around Sora's like a cat before darkness hid them again. "Wha...wha...Riku...?" she gaped. What was wrong with his eyes? And what was that look?

Riku's bright pink gaze continued to stare at her unblinking for several long moments as Sora continued to whimper in his arms. Finally, he let out a soft growl and closed his eyes, his body visibly slackening as he seemed to have fallen asleep. As soon as he did so, Sora stopped whimpering and his fit ceased altogether. Unsure of what she just witnessed, Kairi snapped the curtain shut and quickly climbed back into bed. _What was that!?_ She knew Riku could dive into Sora's dreams. In fact, she witnessed it many times firsthand when Sora was in his coma. She didn't know much about it, just that somehow Riku was able to visit Sora in his dreams. But this seemed different. She didn't just witness a dream social visit, she could tell that much. Something else was going on here. Riku looked...almost demonic. Those eyes just didn't seem human and yet...somehow they were still very Riku.

"Those two..." she sighed with exasperation as she willed herself to fall asleep, exhaustion finally taking over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to get this out in time for Halloween but I got a new job so things have been BUSY! Regardless, I hope all of you had a fun and safe holiday! <3


	59. Destiny Trio Vacation: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Destiny Trio share a heart to heart to heart.

When Kairi awoke the next morning she was surprised to find that both Sora and Riku were awake already. "Oh right, everybody was going to surf this morning." She yawned loudly and grabbed a bathrobe to wear before making her way to the kitchen where her and Riku's moms were. The two appeared to be enjoying their morning coffee and had already left quite the breakfast spread on the table, the majority of which like it was comprised of leftovers from the birthday party.

"Good morning!" Kairi's mom greeted. "The boys wanted to wait for you, but the dads dragged them away," she laughed. "They told me to tell you they're saving a beach chair for you and to be prepared to swim."

Kairi smiled fondly. "Was there anything more specific? Did they say wear my wetsuit?"

Her mom hummed as she tried to remember. "They were wearing their swim trunks," Riku's mom contributed helpfully. "I think they wanted to go exploring."

"Sounds about right," Kairi giggled as she sat down to enjoy her breakfast. While she ate, she worried over which swimsuit to wear. Was she ready to wear her new pink two-piece in front of the others? When she got dressed she wore her two-piece, a set with a boy shorts bottom and sporty top while wearing a thin t-shirt over it for now. When she finally made it outside she found the boys wrestling on the shore, each trying to drag the other into the ocean. Riku, who is clearly winning, had Sora lifted over his head by the time Kairi made her way over there. Sora noticed her just as he was about to be tossed and waved at her cheerfully. "Good morning, Kairi!"

"Good morning!" she greeted back. "You two having fun?"

"Loads!" Riku answered before he tossed Sora into the water, the brunette landing with a hard splash!

"Did you sleep well?" Riku asked.

"Actually, I was just about to ask YOU that. You see...I saw something weird last night that I wanted to ask you about."

"Something weird?" Sora sputtered as he re-emerged from the ocean. "It wasn't the mug ghost, was it?"

"No, but--Wait, did you guys check the video yet?"

"We were waiting for you!" Sora grinned as he pulled his gummi phone from his pocket. "Do you want to look now?"

"Yes!" she clasped her hands eagerly.

"Try not to get your hopes up too high," Riku warned gently.

"Yeah, yeah!" Kairi huffed. "Hurry up and ask Tron!"

Sora hurried to open Tron's app. He hoped that Tron already went through the footage so that they didn't have to sit through too much video. He was excited to get the day started.

"Good morning, everybody!" the program greeted. The trio bade him good morning back, but the program could tell the three were antsy so he decided to skip right to the chase. "My censors did detect activity in the kitchen at 2:27 AM and I recorded fifteen minutes of footage. However, I must warn you, I don't think it's going to be what you expected."

"Well, let's see!" Kairi demanded eagerly from over Sora's shoulder. Tron gave pause for one second before pulling up the footage from the kitchen. Sora turned up the volume so they could hear properly. They could see flashes of lightning from the windows but there wasn't a lot of thunder to be heard, or at least not enough to mask the sounds of footsteps heading towards the kitchen. Kairi held her breath with anticipation, squinting hard to see the screen as the sun beat on them from overhead. Finally, someone stepped into frame...

"Kairi!?" Sora asked. "Did you wake up to get a snack or something?"

"N-no," Kairi's voice quivered as she watched herself open the cabinets on-screen. "Is this some kind of joke?" she asked. "I don't remember any of this!"

"I'm sorry, Kairi," Tron apologized. "But you were the only one in the kitchen last night until Riku's mom entered at 4:07 AM."

"Huh...I didn't know you were a sleepwalker, Kairi," Sora chuckled good-naturedly as if it weren't a big deal and thanked Tron for a job well done before stuffing the phone back into his pocket.

"Apparently neither did she," Riku muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, but YOU knew, didn't you?" Kairi asked angrily, whirling around to face Riku. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you ask me about it?" She was so mad! Tears stung at the corners fo her eyes. Why was this happening to her!?

"Kairi, I only saw it happen two nights ago. I thought it was just a one-off thing. I had no idea this was anything more than that, I promise," Riku insisted.

"It's not too big a deal, right?" Sora asked gently to try and diffuse the tension. "At least now you know and you're not being haunted by a mug stalker."

"I guess..." Kairi grumbled as she wiped her eyes on the back of her fist. "I'm not exactly thrilled about it, though. And speaking of secrets," she looked up at the two of them. "What's with you two at night?"

Sora felt taken aback and Riku's cheeks instantly turned pink. "You're going to have to be more specific, Kairi," the elder teen cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Ugh, not THAT, Riku! I'm talking about the dream diving stuff! You are still doing it, aren't you?"

"Uh, yes?" Riku answered cautiously as he rubbed the back of his neck. He had a bad feeling about where this was going.

"But why? Don't you see enough of each other when you two are awake? I mean what's the point? I get Sora might still be having nightmares, but we all do, right? Aren't you overstepping just a little bit?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked defensively.

Riku's eyes narrowed. "Do you think I'm babying Sora? Is that it?"

"No...I mean, yeah, a little. You're always trying to protect Sora from EVERYTHING, now you're even protecting him from his own imagination. Isn't it a bit much?"

"Not for us," Sora stated quietly as he gripped Riku's hand.

"Well it must be nice for you two, then!" she snapped. It just didn't seem fair. These two were helping each other heal and she can't help but feel like she's been left to figure things out on her own!

"Kairi, I'm sorry you feel left out, but it's not because we don't care about you, because we do. We're close, no doubt about that," Riku smiled at her warmly. "And I'm sorry you're having a hard time, but what I do for Sora...I can't do for you."

"You mean diving into dreams? I thought that was something any advanced keyblade wielder could do?" Now she was really confused. Was Riku doing more than dream diving? "Does it have something to do with your eyes changing colors? Sometimes I just see the edges change, but last night they were bright pink!"

"URG! That is, I uh..." Riku turned away to hide his reddening face. He had avoided talking to Kairi about this for a while. Very few actually knew he was Sora's dream eater. Even with Kairi, it somehow felt too personal to disclose.

"Oh come on, Riku!" Kairi pressed but when Riku continued to refuse, she turned to Sora instead. "Spill it, Sora!"

"No way!" Sora put his hands up and backed away. "I'm not saying anything if Riku doesn't want to!"

"Guuuuuuuuys!" Kairi groaned. "What can be so embarrassing that you can't tell me about it?"

"You already think I'm overstepping, remember?" Riku huffed, his back still turned to her but Kairi could still see his ears were burning red. "You'll just think even worse if I actually tell you."

"What if I promise to not make fun of you?" Kairi compromised.

"Don't make promises you can't keep. I know you. You wouldn't be able to hold back."

Sora tried to stifle his own giggling with his hands. He's right. There's no way Kairi wouldn't tease.

Kairi crossed her arms. "So tell me then, this big secret, does anybody else know?"

Riku stiffened. He was definitely trapped now. Even before he answered he knew how this was going to play out. "Yes..."

"Whooooooo?"

"Master Yen Sid, Mickey..." Riku began to mumble, his voice getting quieter as he continued to list names. "Maybe Axel, Ven, Roxas, Xion, Naminé too, probably..."

"Uh-huuuuuuuuh...and yet you can't tell ME."

"Well it's not like I told them myself!" Riku grumbled under his breath. "Fine, I'll tell you. I'm...I'm Sora's dream eater."

A dead silence fell over the trio for a very long and painful couple of seconds. "Come again?" Kairi blinked. "You mean like one of those bouncy meow-wow creatures from yesterday? You're one of THEM!?"

Riku only growled in response. Here it comes...

"Soooo...you're like Sora's pet or something? His dream pet?"

Sora suddenly burst into laughter, unable to hold it back any longer as tears of mirth leaked from his eyes. "K-Kairi!" he wheezed. "Why'd you have to say it like that!?"

"Why are YOU the one that's laughing!?" Riku glared at his boyfriend, now feeling utterly betrayed.

"It's just the way she said it! I'm sorry! I'm not laughing at you. It's just it's so sweet and romantic and yet she just called you my pet!"

"I heard her the first time!" Riku shouted.

Kairi stared at them both, now completely dumbfounded. "What is it then? Help me understand."

Riku finally told her everything about their special connection and how it all happened during the Mark of Mastery exam. He told her about dream eaters and what they do and how he works alongside them to take out Sora's nightmares.

"And you STILL do this? Even now? Are the nightmares really that bad?" From what she understands, Sora has other dream eaters, right? So why does he still need Riku to help?

"Not so bad, at least not all the time. Sometimes I just get hungry," Riku explained without even thinking. When he realized what he just blurted out he immediately regretted it.

"Wait, you ACTUALLY eat those nightmare things?" Kairi asked, horrified as she imagined Riku eating a nightmare version of that cute little meow-wow.

"It's not like that!" Riku insisted, already knowing where her mind was going. "No actual eating goes on!"

"Not unless I feed him treats," Sora giggled.

"That's enough out of you!" Riku glared.

"So you really have a rivalry with meow-wow, don't you?" Kairi teased. "Is it because he's a cuter dream eater than you?"

"No, it's because he hates when he thinks the others are getting more attention than he is," Sora explained candidly.

"That's not true! I told you, I'm not jealous of that little blue throw pillow of yours!" Riku's iris borders were turning REALLY pink now!

"His name is Bumpis!" Sora scolded. "And you need to cool it!"

"Or what?" Riku tested, now getting all up in Sora's personal space. "What are you going to do about it? How about you deal with your own nightmares then? Maybe Kairi has a point after all!"

"Guys, don't fight!" Kairi pleaded as she looked worryingly between them. Riku genuinely looked really mad but Sora didn't seem fazed in the slightest. It made Kairi recall the massive size of some of the other dream eaters from yesterday. Did Sora tame THEM too? Instead of backing down from the angry teen, Sora wrapped his arms around him and dragged his fingers down Riku's back, nails scraping gently over his t-shirt. In that moment, Kairi swore Riku actually melted as he suddenly shuddered and his knees seem to buckle slightly as he leaned heavily into Sora's embrace. His disposition seems to have changed entirely from the simple touch.

"I'm sorry I teased you," Sora apologized. "You're just so cute," he soothed quietly, earning a growl from the formerly disgruntled teen who only huffed to acknowledge Sora's apology.

Kairi watched the two of them with a small smile tugging the corners of her lips. She thinks she understands a little better now about what Riku was trying to say. Something had changed between the two of them, something much more intimate somehow than she already imagined. It may be something she'll never truly understand, but for once, she's okay with that and she found she was really happy for the both of them, truly. "So uh...Your mom said you two wanted to go exploring?" she asked in an attempt to to bury the hatchet and change the subject entirely.

"Oh yeah!" Sora broke away from Riku, whose eyes were back to aqua now. "We found a cave!" the brunette bounced excitedly. "We wanted you to come explore it with us."

"Your message mentioned swimming. Is this cave under water?"

"It's partially flooded, yes. But Riku thinks it leads to a waterfall!"

"Ooh! That DOES sound fun! Count me in!"

"Alright! Let's get going!" Sora cheered. 

The three packed a small pack before they headed out as Sora was already starting to complain that he was getting hungry. "Did you guys go surfing with the others?" Kairi asked, just now realizing she didn't see the rest of the adults on the beach.

"We tried for a while, but Sora's mom kept hogging all the good waves," Riku explained. "We watched them after that. I'm not complaining, though, they were all really cool to watch."

"Yeah, but they started chasing the waves much further down the beach so they went on ahead without us. Then we found the cave and decided to wait for you," Sora added.

"Sounds like you two have been busy!" Kairi giggled as they walked. Riku was leading them through a dense cluster of trees along a fox trail. They were in deep enough that Kairi could no longer see the ocean at their backs, but she could still hear the gentle lull of the waves lapping at the sandy beach.

"Wonder if anybody else has seen this cave," Sora mused as he walked behind Riku with his fingers casually laced together behind his head.

"I'm sure somebody has," Riku answered. "This island isn't vey big so I'm sure one of the locals probably knows about it."

"Yeah, but a lot of this area is private property. We need to keep our voices down in case we're trespassing," Kairi warned.

"Oh yeah! I didn't even think about that!" Sora deflated. "I've gotten so used to just going wherever I want that I forget about things like that."

"It'll be okay," Riku assured them. "If we get caught, we'll just explain ourselves and politely take our leave. I'm sure they'd understand."

"Hmm...Hey, Riku...would you be as understanding if somebody trespassed at our place?"

Riku hummed thoughtfully, his stomach did a little happy backflip at the way Sora said "our place". "I guess it depends. But to be honest, I'll have to find a way to help us avoid that altogether. I'll look up different kinds of barrier magic when we get back home."

"Barrier magic, huh?" Kairi laughed. "So no solicitors for you then, huh?"

"Nope!" Riku nodded firmly. "And no surprise visits either."

"Aw, but I like surprise visits," Sora whined cheekily. "Wouldn't you like for Roxas and the others to be able to drop by whenever they want?"

"Absolutely not!" Riku answered stubbornly but then made the mistake of staring into Sora's bright blue puppy dog eyes. "I dunno...I'll think about it...Warp sphere only!"

"Hehe, that's fair," Sora agreed.

"Right. Besides, if I can't have the option of sunbathing naked at my own home then what's the point?" Riku smirked.

"Riku!" Kairi gasped.

"What?" Riku tilted his head back at her. "Oh like you've never thought about it on a really hot day!"

Sora meanwhile was enjoying the idea way too much, as if Riku just provided him a revelation. "Holy cow, you're right! We could actually get away with not wearing any clothes!" he exclaimed gleefully in a way that worried Kairi a little.

"What, are you a closeted nudist, Sora?" she asked.

"I dunno, never tried it!" Sora answered playfully.

"It does sound kind of fun, doesn't it?" Riku laughed.

"Will you two stop!?" Kairi begged. "I don't want to think about you two naked!"

"You can if you want," Riku teased just to make Kairi turn red.

"I SAID STOP!"

"So no co-ed hot spring vacation getaways, huh? Noted," Sora continued to tease.

"You two are the worst!" Kairi grumbled. "Are we there yet?" She had been so distracted by the conversation that she didn't realize how far they had actually walked. Here the spacing of the trees was becoming much denser and the air was sweet with the scents of tropical flowers growing from bushes scattered everywhere and hanging from vines in the trees. "It's so pretty!"

"Yeah," Sora agreed with a soft smile. He reached for a large pink hibiscus flower as they walked past and plucked it. "Here you go," he offered it to Kairi before tucking it into her hair behind her ear. "It suits you."

"Aw, thanks, Sora," she pinkened happily as they kept walking.

They walked a little further in comfortable silence for a while. More than once Sora straggled behind a little before catching up again. Around the sixth time he fell back, Kairi wanted to ask what he was up to but got her answer when she noticed a flower crown in his hands. He put a finger to his lips and winked at her before hurrying forward to catch up to Riku and surprised him with it by laying on top of his head.

"Sora!" Riku stopped. "When did you--?"

"Just a little something for my pretty prince~" Sora answered giddily before pressing a sweet kiss to Riku's reddening cheek. "Also I got bored. I thought we'd be there by now!" he whined.

"How long did it take you guys before?" Kairi asked. "Are we lost?"

"Not at all. It's just that we used flowmotion to get there the first time," Riku explained.

"Ohhh...so you cheated!" Kairi smirked.

"Flowmotion isn't cheating!" Sora huffed.

"Uh-huh," Kairi laughed but dropped the subject as she heard the sound of rushing water nearby. "Are we close?"

"Yup!" Riku pointed towards a dense gathering of brush and moss. Sure enough, there was a hidden cave with a creek feeding into the opening. Once they ventured inside, Sora turned on the flash of his gummi phone to light their way. The trio ventured on in silence, save for the sounds of their feet splashing through the one inch of water that flooded the floor of the cave. Not exactly the swim Kairi was expecting but she wasn't about to complain. The deeper they went, they could hear the almost deafening roar of another water source somewhere up ahead. It has to be the waterfall!

Following the rushing sound of water came the light and the two found themselves at the end of the tunnel and standing on the edge of a precarious step. Before them was indeed a waterfall that fed down into a deep water hole about twenty feet below them. Judging by how dark blue it was, Sora surmised that it was deep enough to plunge into so he wasted no time ripping off his shirt and diving in! "WOOHOO!"

"Coming in right after you!" Riku warned before taking off his own shirt and performing a cannon ball right after Sora.

The two teens emerged after a couple of seconds, sputtering slightly as the waterfall behind them sprayed them with a constant barrage of water.

"Is it cold?" Kairi called down below.

"Nah, it feels great!" Sora called back. "Hop on in!"

Kairi hesitated, hands clutching at the bottom of her shirt. _If I don't try now, when will I?_ With a deep breath, she peeled off her t-shirt and swan dived into the water, emerging from the blue depths to cheers from Sora and Riku.

"Nice dive!" Riku praised.

"Ten out of ten!" Sora laughed from behind Kairi but his smile almost fell when he saw the scar across her back. Its appearance made a sharp chill run down his spine but he quickly shoved all thoughts of it aside just before Kairi turned towards him and smiled.

The three treaded water for a while, taking turns to see how far down they could go and see how close each of them could get to the waterfall before the current forced them back. After a long time of splashing around, the three rested against the wall of the cave.

"Do you ever think about the raft?" Kairi asked.

Riku audibly groaned and Sora rolled his eyes, "All the time!"

"I try not to think about it," Riku frowned, both teens earning a laugh from Kairi.

The three had a good laugh at their past selves. They all agreed had they actually been successful that they would've been toast. They grimaced as they thought about all the hang-ups they would've ran into, the big ones all pertaining to maintaining personal hygiene and taking care of nature when it would inevitably call.

"Yeah, I didn't think that one through when I agreed to help out," Kairi laughed sheepishly.

"Did ANY of us think that one through...RI-KUUUUU?" Sora looked to the silver-haired teen who had been mostly silent with his arms crossed.

"Hey, you all thought it was a good idea, too. I don't want to hear it," he huffed.

The three laughed together and sat in comfortable silence for a little longer as they watched the waterfall. Kairi glanced over at Riku and Sora, happy that they could spend this time together just being themselves. But she also felt bad about how she nearly ruined it earlier that morning.

"I'm sorry i was so upset earlier. It's just that...I feel so confused and hurt and I just don't know what to do or how to handle it," she tried to apologize as she stared at her hands beneath the water.

"Kairi, Sora and I love you and we'll always be here to support you, but we're not...exactly experts on this sort of subject," Riku said gently. "I wish I had the answers, but Sora and I...we're coping in our own way. What works for us may not work for you. Again, it's not that we don't want to help, but we're not equipped for that kind of job. In other words, patients probably shouldn't be treating other patients, you follow me?"

"Yeah, I think I see what you're saying. But then...what should I do? Who should I talk to?"

"I think Master Yen Sid would be a good person to start with. He might be able to direct you from there. Just be sure to tell him everything that's been going on. Be open and honest, just like you were with us today."

"Mm. I think I'll do that. Thanks, Riku."

Sora's stomach growled loudly, enough to be heard even over the waterfall. "Can we go back now?" he whined.

It took them a minute, but the three air-stepped out of the deep hole and made their way out of the cave tunnel and headed back towards the beach, thankfully without running into anybody along the way. When they arrived back at the beach, it seemed as though none of their parents were around. They had the beach to themselves.

"Hey, you two, what do you say to a quick spar?" Riku grinned.

Sora's face lit up at the challenge. "Oooh, let's!"

"Me too?" Kairi asked.

"Of course! You're a keyblade wielder. Let's do this!" the silver-haired teen smiled. "If you want to, that is."

"YES!" the redhead clenched her fists with determination and summoned Destiny's Embrace.

"Ha-ha!" Sora excitedly summoned Kingdom Key and Riku summoned Braveheart.

The three took a few steps to form a triangle with an equal amount of distance between them before they all shouted "GO!" and lunged for each other. However it soon became apparent that Sora and Kairi both had their eyes set on Riku who found himself fighting off the both of them at once. "Nice try, you two! But it's not going to work!"

"Look at you talk, Mr. Hot Shot!" Sora called him out while he took a lunge at Riku.

"You're BOTH going to be in for a rude awakening when I'm done with you!" Kairi jeered.

As the three keyblade wielders clashed, the parents slowly began gathering on the beach. Riku and Kairi's moms heard the noise from inside and came out to watch and Sora's mom and the three dads had just gotten back from their surf to find the three going at it. The parents watched in awe, having never really seen their kids in action before. Kairi's mom was on the verge of tears, happy to see her daughter finally wearing a two piece suit and having the confidence to show her scar in front of her two best friends at long last. Sora's mom was clutching her husband's hand as she finally saw the extent of his scars for the first time. She's seen glimpses of his chest scar and the one on his wrist and knee, and of course his neck, but the ones all over his back...she had no idea there were so many. Meanwhile the three were having so much fun squaring off against each other that they didn't even notice they had an audience until Riku fell to one knee as he buckled under the pressure of blocking both Sora and Kairi at the same time and heard his dad cheering for him to get up.

"DAD!?" Riku gasped and dismissed his weapon, causing Sora and Kairi to fall from mid-air and land on Riku in a pile on the sand. "OOF!"

"Soo...who won?" Kairi asked from on top of Sora.

"Let's call it a draw..." Sora groaned from in between Kairi and Riku.

"Fine by me. Now get off!" Riku growled with a face full of sand.

"Over already?" Riku's mom cried out with disappointment. "None of you even bled!"

"MOM!" Riku gasped!

"Kidding! Kidding!" she laughed, but Riku wasn't so sure she was.

The families spent a long day playing on the beach together, including flying kites and playing frisbee. Then they had dinner (inside this time). When night began to fall, they all dressed in warmer clothes for the evening but when it grew dark Kairi was already halfway asleep on the couch in front of the TV. Her mom covered up with a blanket as she slept and the adults all decided to have a beer or two on the beach, which left Sora and Riku up to their own devices. Without even saying anything, they knew exactly what they wanted to do. Stargaze!

Together the two walked along the beach hand in hand as the moon lit their way, kicking at the surf as they went until the house and the fire the adults set up was just the barest flicker of light in the distance.

"You know...I don't think I've ever asked you," Sora mumbled as he stared up at the sky.

"Hm?" Riku glanced over at the teen at his right while gently rubbing his thumb along the back of the hand clutched in his.

"It's just on nights like this, I think about...you know...that night we made our promise. And I realized I never asked you where your charm came from," Sora asked bashfully, though he isn't sure why he's embarrassed.

Riku stopped walking and stared up at the sky too, towards the moon. "My father gave it to me. I've had it since I was a baby. He said it would keep me safe when he wasn't home. But I don't know where he got it from. I never asked." He hummed and looked back to Sora. "Why are you asking now?"

Sora had been watching Riku's face the whole time as he recounted where the charm came from and now that Riku was staring back at him he began to feel a little sheepish and began to stare down at his feet instead, not that he could see them in the near pitch blackness. "I dunno. I guess...I mean...I remember you mentioned you've had it since you were little and I guess I just realized I took something precious from you...I guess...I dunno..." he trailed off.

"Hey," Riku tugged his hand gently to get Sora to look at him and when he still didn't, he used his other hand to force his chin up so he could give him a kiss. "It is precious. Which is why I gave it to you, the most precious person in my life."

"Riku..."

The elder teen smiled softly and kissed him again, longer this time, until both slipped their arms around each other and stood with their foreheads pressed together, breathless and happy.

"You're my precious person too," Sora breathed. "I love you so much."

"I know. I love you, too."

The two eventually found a log to lean back against and cuddled up together as they stared up at the stars, recounting constellations they could barely remember, pointing at different colored stars and wondering if they were worlds they hadn't visited yet, all while keeping an eye out for any potential shooting stars in their shared field of vision.

"Someday we'll explore the stars again," Sora mused.

"Yeah, but this is nice, too," Riku sighed contently as he nuzzled into Sora's neck. He smelled of tropical flowers and sea water. It was almost heavenly.

"Mmm," Sora hummed happily as he returned the nuzzle with his nose in Riku's hair. He could still smell the hibiscus from the flower crown he made Riku earlier. But he still smelled like sandalwood and saltwater. Perfect. He could almost fall asleep right here, but the log was giving him a crick in his neck and he didn't want to become a feast for the mosquitos that would undoubtedly come out soon to eat them alive.

"Shall we head back?" Riku asked, as if he could read Sora's mind.

"Yeah," Sora winced slightly as he sat up. Yup, using a log for a pillow probably wasn't the best idea. "There are more comfortable places to cuddle."

"This is true," Riku grinned and offered him a hand up so they can walk back together.

As they walked back, they were a little surprised to see their parents were still gathered around the campfire. "I hope they weren't just waiting for us to get back," Sora wondered.

But as they approached, Sora thought he heard his mom crying over the sounds of the sea breeze, which alarmed both teens so they picked up the pace. When they arrived, they found Sora's mom with her face in her hands, beet red, tears streaming down her face, and looking inconsolable as Sora's dad helplessly patted her on the back. On the ground next to her were several empty beer bottles and Kairi's parents were just watching with awkward smiles while Riku's parents looked like they were fighting back the urge to laugh.

"Mom!? Are you okay!?" Sora asked worriedly, hurrying over to her side as she let out another wail.

"SORA! MY BABY!" his mother yelled and grabbed for him, yanking him close and hugging him tightly to her chest before the brunette could even react.

"MOM! What's going on!?" he asked while he struggled to breathe against his mom's oversized hoody.

"Your mother's just a little tipsy," his dad laughed.

"You can't leave me yet! You just got back!" she wailed as she clutched him tightly.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere!" he protested as he tried hugging his mother back in an effort to calm her down.

Her head suddenly snapped up to look at Riku who took a step back upon seeing her distraught face. "Riku, sweetheart, you know I love you, but I can't let you take him! I'm not ready to let go yet! You can't have my baby!!"

"Uh..." Riku swallowed hard as he tried to figure out how to respond. "I uh..."

Riku's dad suddenly burst out with laughter, "Shame on you, son!"

"Look, you made the poor woman cry!" Riku's mother also laughed.

"I didn't mean to!" Riku insisted looking helplessly between both sets of parents. He knew his parents were having a laugh and sure, maybe Sora's mother had one too many, but was giving Sora a key in front of his parents for his birthday a bad idea after all? He hadn't really thought about how it would make his parents feel.

"Mom, you don't have to worry! I'm not moving out until after I graduate, I promise!" Sora insisted as he tried to squirm out of his mother's grasp as he was really struggling to take in oxygen now.

"I'm really sorry!" Riku bowed sincerely. "I didn't mean to upset anyone!"

"Don't worry about it!" Sora's dad insisted as he laughed. "There comes a time for every parent where they pick up and set their child down for the last time. You're never sure when that is and you're never really prepared when it does happen."

Sora felt his own eyes filling up with tears as he manages to break one arm away from his mom to pull his dad into a hug as well. "Dad..."

"*sniff* When...*sniffle* When WAS the last time I picked you up?" Sora's mom whimpered.

Sora remembered it very clearly. "When I came back with Riku and the others...after I woke up." He remembered coming back to Riku's place, wrapped in Riku's jacket and being snatched from the elder teen by his mother who had come to see them with ice cream and pizza only to find an empty house and worried half to death. He remembered how much she sobbed as she cradled him in her arms like a baby and how hot her tears felt as they splashed down his face while she peppered him with kisses. Great, now HE was crying and he was pretty sure his dad was crying as he felt him shake against him and his mother.

Riku's dad stood and cleared his throat, giving a nod to Riku to follow him for a little walk on the beach while the others tried to console the three. Riku guessed he could tell that he was feeling incredibly guilty. The two walked in silence while Riku's dad sipped at his beer. Riku felt a little awkward but he did find his dad's presence a little comforting, even though he sensed uncomfortable questions were on the way.

"So," his dad started. "You never told me how you got YOUR scars."

"I didn't?" Riku looked up. That certainly wasn't how he expected this conversation to start. He was expecting something along the lines of "Be more aware of how your actions affect others" or "Don't rush into things, you're still young" or "Don't be in a hurry to move out". All of those he was prepared for, but certainly not this. "From...fighting?"

"That much I gathered, son," his dad grunted with amusement. "Tell me the rest."

"Well..." the teen hesitated. How much should he tell him? He glanced back at the campfire a fair distance behind him. Sora and his family seemed to have finally pulled apart, but he see Sora's mother gently cupping Sora's face in the glow of the firelight as she said something he couldn't hear. He felt a clenching sensation around his heart and quickly turned his attention back to his father. "Between you and me...Sora was asleep once before...for a whole year. The one person who could wake him up was not going to cooperate and he didn't go down easy." He held up his wrist for emphasis. "He got a good hit in."

"Uh-huh," Riku's dad finished off his drink and kept walking with him as he held onto his every word. "And the rest?"

"Sora and I were fighting one of our greatest enemies at the time. He made a swipe for Sora and I took the hit in my side. The rest are just scratches compared to those," Riku finished simply.

"Hmph," his dad hummed a noise that sounded like one of approval, or at least that's how Riku interpreted it. Regardless, his dad didn't push the subject any further and the two walked on in silence for a little longer before Riku finally decided to ask his own question.

"I never asked you...how you felt about all of this. Are you disappointed with how things are turning out?" he asked. He could see why Sora's mother would be a little upset, even if she was happy for both of them. Sora was her only son, a son she nearly lost multiple times and when he did come back, he wasn't the same boy she remembered. Now he was growing up way too fast before her very eyes and she felt like she was missing out. But what about his own parents? Not only was he their only son, but there was a family business they worked so hard to maintain and he had no interest in partaking in any of it. Had he let them down?

His father only smiled at him warmly and looked up at the stars and for a moment, Riku felt like he was a small child again, standing on the shore with his father as they looked up at the very same sky while he told him the names of all those stars. "Son, I've never been disappointed in you. Plus, it's hard to be disappointed when you've seen these things coming from a mile away. I always knew you'd find a way off the islands and that the family business never interested you. And that's fine. It's a parent's dream that their child have it better than when they had it. We always knew you were meant for bigger and better things." He paused and looked back to his son with a warmth in his teal eyes that made Riku's heart clench even tighter. "I only worried that while you were searching...was one day that you might lose your way."

Riku swallowed hard around the lump growing in his throat but then he saw his dad turn and give Sora a glance, a smile on his face.

"But I think it's safe to say I don't have to worry any more."

"Dad..." Riku's body trembled with emotion as he clenched his fists inside the front pocket of his hoody. But a heavy hand on his shoulder steadied him.

"We're both very proud of you...you and Sora. And we couldn't be happier for you. I know we're not around as often as we'd like to be, but try to keep us in the loop, yeah?" his dad smirked.

The teen swallowed hard again, forcing back his tears before letting his face break out into a wide smile, "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"Good man," his dad chortled before giving him one good hard slap on the back that nearly knocked Riku over. "They should be done crying now. Let's head back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update! Getting back to work has worn me out more than I realized and I was also playing Melody of Memory. Hehehe~ Thank you for your patience!


	60. Destiny Trio Vacation: Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last day of vacation!

The last day of vacation had finally arrived and the trio of teens were EXHAUSTED to say the least. Even after the parents stumbled into bed, the three stayed up late and looked at the stars through the window and talked for hours. It felt like the longest the three have sat and talked in quite a while. So come morning, the three were the last to get out of bed. In fact, by the time they DID wake up, most of the gear had been packed up on the yacht and after breakfast they had to pack their suitcases and stuff. If they hurried, they could spend a little more time playing on the beach before they were all due to head back.

The trio got a lot of teasing for how much they slept and for wasting the last precious hours of their vacation but they shrugged it off. After what happened last night, Riku had a little trouble looking Sora's mother in the eye but when it was clear that she really wasn't mad at him at all, he felt he could breathe easier. Sora's mother did have a tendency to be dramatic, especially when she's teasing, but since she had quite a few drinks last night, he wasn't really sure if those were her true feelings just coming out or if she was just really, REALLY extra. After talking to Sora last night, he said even he wasn't entirely sure, but he had a feeling it was a little bit of both, especially when his father started getting emotional too.

But of course, the parents weren't letting Sora's mom get off easy since she almost single-handedly killed the mood of their little drinking party last night, mostly teasing her about being unable to hold her liquor. To which she argued she held her liquor just fine! It was only her feelings that she couldn't hold very well! She also claimed she wasn't the only one who cried but when the teens tried to press for further answers, the adults denied everything and avoided the topic entirely, saying it was all grown-up talk and that they didn't need to worry about it.

By the time they had all finished packing and loaded everything on the yacht, there wasn't much left for them to do so they all had a game of frisbee after lunch. But even a light game of frisbee made them feel tired to the point they actually couldn't wait to get back home. They were ready for this vacation to be over so they spend the day recovering from it. Plus, they all had plans for the last day of their four day weekend.

Within the next couple of hours, they had all ridden the yacht back home, unloaded, and said their good-byes. Kairi wanted to catch up on some homework and call Yen Sid right away. Sora needed to buy a computer and get his pictures back from Roxas. Riku wanted to check on some things at the treehouse to make sure nothing was damaged during the storm.

At the super small electronics store, Sora had Tron help him pick a laptop out. Nothing too fancy, but something with enough storage and that was compatible with the gummi phone tech. As soon as he got home Tron helped him set it up and while his pictures were downloading, he learned all about the Moogle search engine and began searching for things on the internet that really should have been done in incognito mode because of course he did.

"Why is this the first thing you wanted to look up?" Tron asked.

"Well you said I could find anything and I wanted to see if I could do it," Sora said simply as he scrolled through the pages.

"Did you think I would lie to you?" the program laughed.

"Ooh, the pretzel dip looks interesting!"

"Oh boy..."

After Sora sated his curiosity and downloaded his pictures, he texted Roxas to ask if he could come over to get the rest before packing up and heading for Twilight Town next. But when he landed in the woods on his keyblade glider, he was surprised to see Vanitas on his way out with a knapsack in tow over his shoulder.

"You going somewhere, Vanitas?" Sora asked.

"Just for a while," Vanitas answered shortly as he continued to walk as if in a hurry.

"How long's a while?" Sora asked, glancing up at the mansion to see Naminé watching Vanitas through the top left window.

"What, you going to cry about it? I've had enough of everybody fussing over me, just leave me alone," the raven-haired teen grumbled as he attempted to shove past Sora.

"Oh no you don't!" Sora spun around and grabbed him by the elbow. "What's this about? Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"It's nothing like that!" Vanitas growled through grit teeth. "The darkness inside Ventus is growing restless. I can feel it. I need to get out of here before it starts looking for me."

Sora released him, "Where will you go?"

"I don't know. Somewhere neither of us have been. Somewhere big enough to get lost in. Luxord has told me of a few places," Vanitas shrugged.

The brunette's eyes widened as he realized what a couple of those places might be. "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider? What if--"

Vanitas growled and spun around to get all up in Sora's face. "This isn't easy for me, you know!"

"It's just that...Naminé would be very upset if you left..."

"You think I don't know that!?" the teen yelled. "Just because I look like you doesn't mean I'm as dense!" he shouted as he shoved his index finger almost painfully into Sora's forehead who swat it away angrily. "She knows better than anybody why I have to go!"

"Why are you so opposed to sticking around? You're probably safer here than out there!"

"And what if you're wrong!?" Vanitas asked before suddenly clutching his mouth.

"What? Does other people caring about you really disgust you that much?" Sora scoffed with his arms crossed.

"Yes, I MEAN NO! It's not like that--I just--" he clutches his mouth again and runs over to a nearby tree where he gets sick, vomiting a black ooze all over the base of the tree much to Sora's shock and horror. "It hurts..." Vanitas tried to explain, his voice raspy from just being sick.

"Vanitas..."

"Just shut up! You've done enough!" he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

Meanwhile, at his feet the puddle of sick took the form of a flood unversed and began scuttling about on the forest floor. Vanitas summoned his keyblade in an effort to dispatch it, but then out of nowhere, a figure leapt down from the trees and snatched up the creature before jumping back into the trees.

"Oh look, it's an ambush. I should have figured as much," Vanitas rolled his eyes with amusement, seemingly more impressed than anything. "Xion, give it back!"

The raven-haired female jumped down from her hiding place while clutching the little flood in her arms like a precious kitten. "Not until you come home!"

"Xion...I already told you..." he said it softly, almost in a pleading tone that surprised Sora.

She shook her head stubbornly. "How do you know this darkness isn't just manipulating you into leaving the group? Sora's right! You should stay here with us, Vani! We can protect you! If you go out there alone and something happens, how would we know if you needed us?"

"She has a point, Vanitas. That's what darkness does. It manipulates you and separates you from others. Isolates you until it can grab hold of you. It's exactly what happened to Riku," Sora said.

"Please don't compare me to that guy," Vanitas shook his head and looked back to the mansion where he could see Naminé watching them from the window. He let out a heavy sigh and looked to Xion and Sora. "I still think you're making a mistake. Just know if anything happens, I'm blaming you."

Sora grinned. "Fine. I'll take that bet."

Vanitas smirked, "Guess I have to go in and apologize to Naminé now. Thanks a lot. Also, give me back my flood."

Xion giggled and carefully released the creature so Vanitas could reabsorb it. Together they walked back to the mansion where Roxas was waiting for Sora and Naminé could be seen peeking out of her room at the top of the stairs.

"I see you got here just in time," Roxas greeted Sora with a grin in a voice that Vanitas couldn't hear as the surly teen made a beeline for the stairs.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sora smiled while craning his neck to look at the floor above them. He could see Naminé throwing herself at Vanitas and wrapping her arms tightly around him. Vanitas hesitated for the briefest of moments before returning the embrace and resting his head on top of hers.

"Hey," Roxas gently elbowed Sora. "It's not nice to stare. Come on, I want to see what laptop you ended up getting."

* * * *

Riku found himself in a city with tall buildings. A familiar dream, unfortunately. As soon as he gained awareness, he felt a pit of dread in his stomach. His eyes darted around for the teen that he hoped would be here...but also hoped he wouldn't. As much as he wanted to see him again, seeing him here would mean nothing but trouble.

He stood around the street crossing. This is where he ran into him last time. Last time he was being pursued by a man supposedly named Yozora and they all ended up on a rooftop where Sora...

He clenched his fists and shook his head. He didn't want to think about that now. Instead his ears strained to listen for any signs of life. But all he could hear was the sounds of neon lights and the soft pitter patter of freshly fallen raindrops as they dripped off of the surfaces they clung to. He was growing impatient. The anticipation made his heartstrings feel tight. Should he call for him? What if he's being chased right now? Or...what if he's still on that rooftop?

Just the thought gave him a cold chill and he found himself rubbing his arms in an effort to get rid of the goosebumps prickling his skin. "Heh... _The city's cold and empty. No one's around to judge me. I can't see clearly when you're gone~_ " he chuckled to himself as he quietly sang a song this city was starting to remind him of. It's just as well; nobody's around and it's a dream so who cares? Suddenly he sensed movement from a nearby alley and quickly turned around to see a familiar silhouette against a brick wall.

"Sora!" he gasped quietly and hurried over to where the teen was hiding, half-surprised to see him looking completely solid this time around. His first instinct was to throw his arms around the brunette in a tight hug, which the other returned but something felt off almost right away. He pulled away and gently grabbed Sora by the shoulders who looked up at him with a teary gaze. He looked happy, but also confused. "Sora?"

Sora suddenly looked both ways as if making sure nobody was around before putting a finger to his lips and grabbing Riku's hand, leading him further into the alley and through a metal door. Wordlessly, he dragged him up several flights of stairs until they arrived at an outdoor stairwell halfway up the building, mostly enclosed but with just enough open space to view the city skyline. It seemed to be an unusual place to stop but then Riku realized...he was making sure there were plenty of exits.

Once they caught their breath, Sora was waving his arms around and saying a million things at once, or at least he appeared to be. Riku couldn't hear anything he was saying! "Whoa, whoa, slow down! I can't hear you," he tried to explain. But wait, he's never had to explain this before. "Wait...are you a dream or are you the Sora from the other timeline?"

Sora paused his movements and blinked rapidly, scratching his head as he tried to decipher what Riku just asked him. He then pointed to himself and mouthed the words, "I am me."

Riku snorted into his hand. Typical Sora answer. He had to be careful, though. If his theory is correct, he shouldn't interact with this Sora the same way he interacts with the Sora made of starlight...or even the Sora in his present. There was only one way to be certain. He locked eyes with the brunette and braced his hand against the wall behind him, leaning in very close to see how the other would react.

Sora stared up at him, slightly alarmed, but mostly confused. Riku could see his name forming on his lips as he raised a questioning eyebrow. As he continued to stare him down, he noticed details that he could only barely make out in the dim lighting of the stairwell. His lips were dark, his skin paler than he's ever seen it, and his eyes looked slightly sunken in, their brilliant blue hue even appeared to be slightly duller. The longer he stared, the more Sora seemed to get nervous, he mouthed his name again and pink began to rapidly fill his cheeks as his eyes darted from Riku's eyes to his lips and back to Riku's eyes again. Riku smirked. He had his answer. "Sorry. I was just checking," he explained before leaning off the wall to let Sora have his personal space back.

Sora tilted his head really far and crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised high as he mouthed, "What the heck?"

"Don't worry about it. It's just that I shouldn't talk to you the way I talk to my Sora. It wouldn't be right."

Sora took a step back, one arm raised halfway as if he had been shocked, his face beet red as he asked, "YOUR Sora?"

"I mean--!" Riku's cheeks grew pink before he shook his head and waved him off. "I mean the Sora from MY timeline, of course."

Sora's mouth formed an "Oh" before he relaxed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with a toothy grin but then his face fell and he stared at the ground.

"What is it?" Riku asked kindly, afraid he upset him somehow.

Sora looked up, lower lip trembling as he gripped his own elbows as if bracing himself. Carefully and slowly he mouthed his words so Riku could understand, "Not. Ri. Ku?"

Riku felt his heart sink as he realized what Sora was asking him. "I-I'm Riku, but I'm not _your_ Riku. You've been calling for him, right? I know he's heard you. And he's on his way."

Sora shook his head, a sad smile on his face as tears leaked from his eyes and rolled down his sunken cheeks. Even though Riku couldn't hear him audibly, he could hear his words as they pierced through his heart like broken glass. "It's probably better if he doesn't come. This is my punishment."

"Sora! You don't mean that!" the silverette stepped forward with a hand out but Sora had already turned and began walking up the stairs, which Riku followed.

"You can't give up! He's coming for you. I know he is!" Riku called after him but if the brunette heard him, he didn't respond. He kept walking with his arms held tightly around himself until they were inside what looked like an open office area with couch seating next to a set of very large windows where he took a seat and Riku followed suit.

Riku took Sora's hands into his own, "Sora, look at me. Please."

The brunette's shoulders shook as he finally turned his head to look up at Riku, eyes glassy with more unshed tears.

"You won't give up. I know you won't. If I'm here, that means your voice IS reaching us somehow. I've seen him. I know he's searching for you. You just have to believe, just as much as he believes in you."

Sora's expression brightened and he gave a firm nod, releasing Riku's hands to wipe away his tears forcefully, his face now full of determination as he looks back to Riku.

"That's what I like to see," Riku grinned.

"There you are..." a low voice from behind Riku shattered the comfortable silence. Though Yozora spoke quietly, the sound was deafening to Riku's ears as he felt like his heart had stopped. Before him, Sora was on his feet in a flash. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as the brunette grabbed his hand and dragged him to his feet to make a run for it. Riku stumbled to his feet and made chase after Sora who dashed for the stairs, only hesitating for a fraction of a second to make sure Riku was behind him before running again with Yozora hot on their heels, his blue and red eyes gleaming fiercely in the darkness.

The two air-stepped up the stairwell until they made it to the roof. There wasn't anywhere else to run, except if they jumped to the next rooftop. But Sora didn't seem to be running anymore. Instead he was summoning his ultima blade and facing the door, ready to take Yozora head-on.

"Wait, Sora!" Riku called out to him.

Sora turned to look at him over his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you, Riku," he said just as Yozora appeared in the doorway, red weapon drawn and glowing brightly as he lunged for Sora and Sora charged forward.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Riku called out, hand outstretched towards Sora as he felt himself falling, falling...

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Riku sat up in bed, Braveheart clutched in his hand, chest heaving as he looked around wildly in the dark. There was a thundering of footsteps outside his door and he instinctly raised his weapon into a defensive stance just as his father busted through the door armed with a baseball bat!

"Dad!?" Riku called out in surprise.

"Riku!?" his dad called back, equally as shocked to see his son armed, his eyes darting around to see that there was no threat after all. They locked eyes for a second and both let out twin nervous chuckles as they relaxed and lowered their weapons, Riku's disappearing in a flash of light.

"Ah, I wondered where you stored that thing," his dad snickered.

"Oh...yeah..." Riku smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry...I guess I woke you."

His dad took a seat on the edge of the bed ruffling the dark hair on the back of his head as he let out a loud yawn. "I heard you screaming and thought the worst. I figured anything that would make you scream like that had to be bad news."

Riku felt his cheeks turn pink but he tried to hide it by raising a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. "It was just a nightmare, that's all. I...I have them sometimes."

"Hm...do you want to talk about it?" his dad offered in a quiet voice.

Riku unconsciously pulled his knees up towards his chest and rested his arms on top of them, avoiding eye contact with his father by studying the loose shirt he wore instead, but without his contacts, it was a little hard. He could now see why Sora felt the way he did around his own parents. Up until now, Riku's own parents weren't aware of the full extent of his trauma. Now they're home and his dad heard one of his nightmares for the first time. He could see his dad feeling guilty and he felt guilty for making him worry. "It's...it's fine. Really. I appreciate the sentiment, but this is just something I have to work through."

"I see..."

Riku blinked. His dad seemed...hurt? He's never really known either of his parents to be especially sentimental or affectionate. In fact, something has been really off about the both of them ever since he got back with Sora to start school. Not that he was complaining, but it felt a little strange, especially now. He reached to turn on the bedside lamp and grabbed his glasses off the night stand so he could finally look at his father clearly. His brows were furrowed and his eyes were sad. "Dad?"

"It's just...when you disappeared...your mother and I hoped and prayed that you would find your way back to us and we promised that if you did, that we'd do better."

"Better?" Riku tilted his head.

"I know we haven't always been around when you needed us most. We've always regretted not spending more time with you."

"But that's not your fault. I know why you weren't. I never resented you for it," Riku protested.

"Never?" his dad smirked knowingly.

"Well..." Riku's eyes turned downcast.

His dad chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Point is, your mother and I have decided we want to be around more. We want to be here to support you in whatever you want to do next. Soon you'll be starting your own family and your mother is eager to be a grandma, so--"

Riku snorted, "She's going to have to wait a looong time."

His dad guffawed, "Regardless, we're taking steps to ensure we can run the business from home. Soon we'll stop going on the fishing trips entirely."

Riku's eyes widened. "But...you guys love those fishing expeditions!"

"But we love you more," his dad smiled before quickly turning his head and heaving out a sigh as if the sentimentality was taxing for him. "There will be time for other trips...trips that don't involve work. We've long since earned that for ourselves, don't you think?"

"Oh, definitely," Riku agreed.

"Now mind you, it's going to take a while. There will be a few more trips. Change doesn't happen overnight. But know your mother and I are working hard to ensure it will happen."

"Dad...I don't know what to say..."

His dad chortled and rested a heavy hand on his forearm. "You don't have to say anything."

"But I feel kind of guilty," Riku smiled sadly.

"Why?" his dad studied him with his dark green eyes with one eyebrow raised suspiciously.

"I mean...I'm still planning on moving out soon after I graduate and once Sora and I are both out of school, we'll both be traveling again. You'll be making such a huge change, but this time it'll be ME that's not around...so..."

"Hey, just because I said we were thinking of you doesn't MEAN it's all about you," his dad snerked. "We're doing this for ourselves too. And don't feel guilty. You're only doing what you're SUPPOSED to be doing...and that's leaving the nest and getting on your own two feet. Only now your mother and I will be around more to see you grow into the fine young man we know you're becoming."

"Hm, sounds good," Riku grinned before letting out a loud yawn. "Thanks, dad. Sorry again for waking you."

"Don't worry about it. All part of the job," he grinned before standing up and turning off the bedside lamp for Riku. "Good night. And uh...I'll fix your door tomorrow."

"Haha, good night!" the teen laughed before removing his glasses and rolling over to try and get some sleep. As he heard his dad's footsteps disappear down the hall, he thought about what his father had told him and the dream he had of the other Sora...the Sora who's still waiting. "Maybe it's time I've done something I've been putting off too..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been tryna call  
> I've been on my own for long enough  
> Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe  
> I'm going through withdrawals  
> You don't even have to do too much  
> You can turn me on with just a touch, baby
> 
> I look around and  
> Sin City's cold and empty (Oh)  
> No one's around to judge me (Oh)  
> I can't see clearly when you're gone
> 
> I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights  
> No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch  
> I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night  
> Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust  
> Hey, hey, hey
> 
> I'm running out of time  
> 'Cause I can see the sun light up the sky  
> So I hit the road in overdrive, baby, oh
> 
> The city's cold and empty (Oh)  
> No one's around to judge me (Oh)  
> I can't see clearly when you're gone
> 
> I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights  
> No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch  
> I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night  
> Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust
> 
> I'm just calling back to let you know (Back to let you know)  
> I could never say it on the phone (Say it on the phone)  
> Will never let you go this time (Ooh)
> 
> I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights  
> No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch  
> Hey, hey, hey  
> Hey, hey, hey
> 
> I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights  
> No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch
> 
> -Blinding Lights  
> The Weeknd


	61. Cross The Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiss me once  
> Kiss me twice  
> Kiss me three times~
> 
> Cross the liiiiiiiiiine~

The early summer breeze was blowing gently, the treetops swaying minutely in a soothing barely-there rocking motion. It was enough to make Sora want to take a nap. He and Riku managed to find time to work on the treehouse together for the first time all week since they've gotten back from their long weekend vacation with their families. Riku, of course, had already been working on it in the evenings in his own time, but Sora was determined to lend a hand today...but maybe after a power nap? He gazed longingly at the half-finished decking that had a brilliant view of the beach and the waterfall that flowed from the cliff face. There were even a few sandbags and tarps laid out as if to tempt him. Riku had warped home really quickly to grab some snacks and drinks when he realized his mini fridge was empty and said he'd be right back but he was already taking a while.

"Maybe he decided to change into more comfortable clothes," Sora mused. He himself was dressed partially in his combat gear, namely the pants because infinitely deep pockets were useful (Who needs tool belts when you got magical pockets?) but instead of the black shirt he usually wore with it, he wore one of the white undershirts he bought to go under his school uniform. Riku had originally shown up in his work out clothes so maybe he went to put on a pair of jeans? As he tried not to grin too much at the thought of how good Riku's butt looks in a well-fitting pair of jeans, he idly fingered the leaves of a little potted paopu tree sprout parked on the deck, one of the seedlings taken from the play island that he and Riku planted together. It was so strange to think of something actually growing that came from a fruit the two of them shared together and hopefully thriving where the two of them are building their future home. _Their_ future home...just the idea of it made his cheeks feel warm and his heart skip a little beat.

He glanced again at the deck and gave a little shrug before walking over to the pile of tarps and pulling up a sand bag to use as a makeshift pillow. "If he didn't want me napping, he shouldn't have taken so long," he justified to himself as he laced his fingers together above his head and closed his eyes. The branches of the tree canopied just right to provide the perfect amount of shade to keep the sun out of his eyes as he drifted to sleep.

"Should've figured as much..."

Sora heard Riku's playful chiding voice in his ears, quiet alongside the ocean's breeze and the creaking of the tree and could even feel the shadow the taller male was casting as he no doubt stood smugly above him. He didn't open his eyes, however, only acknowledged the other's presence with a content hum. He wasn't sure how long he had been napping but it didn't feel like enough. Just a few more minutes and he'd be good, for sure.

Riku chuckled softly with amusement, smiling fondly at the lazing brunette. "There are more comfortable places to take a nap, you know."

Sora was expecting Riku to try and urge him awake or something but certainly not offer a better napping locale. He opened one eye suspiciously to see Riku indeed standing over him in a white t-shirt and light blue jeans, hands on his hips and his head tilted with that special smile reserved only for him. "Oh really? I think it might be pretty hard to top this spot," he nodded with a grin towards the view. "All that's missing is a good pillow and I'd be all set."

"I think I can do better than that," the silverette grinned and waved for Sora to follow him. "Just help me with this real quick."

The younger teen let out a small groan as he sat up, back a little stiff from lying on the wooden deck. He watched Riku walk towards a large square thing near the trunk of the tree wrapped in a plastic blue tarp and rope that he assumed was just where he stored more building supplies. Riku gave another flick of his head to urge him over as he began undoing the rope and Sora couldn't help sighing inwardly as he walked over, figuring himself to have been tricked into waking up to work after all. When he observed Riku grip the tarp, he mimicked his movements.

"One, two, three!" Riku counted off before tugging the heavy tarp off in unison with Sora. Together they turned the weatherproof fabric over and peeled it away to reveal--

"A BED!?" Sora gasped in amazement. "You made a bed!?" He couldn't believe it! Before him was a four poster bed that appeared to be made out of scrubbed and repurposed wood, including some pieces of driftwood. Everything was sanded smooth until the wood practically gleamed and was treated with a natural stain that really brought out the beauty of the different woods used to construct it, the differences in the rich colors subtle but definitely making a statement to contrast with the large fluffy mattress laid upon it which was dressed in all white sheets and linens and piled with matching pillows. Hanging from the the frame were long, sheer white curtains that billowed playfully in the breeze. It looked like something out of a vacation cabana catalogue or a fantasy romance movie! Sora couldn't help gawking at the piece of furniture as he slid his fingers admiringly over the wood, almost completely lost for words. "Riku..."

"I got tired of building walls so I wanted to try my hand at making some furniture for a change of pace," he said simply. "Hopefully it's more comfortable than the deck," he laughed as he kicked off his boots. "Care to test it out with me?"

"YES!" Sora shouted gleefully, also kicking off his shoes and together they jumped into the bed, Riku lounging on one side and Sora faceplanting on the other, completely burying his face in the fluffy white pillows as both their bodies gently sunk into the feather-stuffed mattress. "It's perfeeeeeeeeeeeect," he moaned muffledly.

"Haha, I'm glad it has the Sora seal of approval," Riku couldn't help grinning proudly as he scooched towards the middle, lounging on his side with his head propped up on his hand while he enjoyed watching Sora giggle happily. It was like watching him sink and nuzzle into a fluffy white cloud.

The brunette let out a happy sigh as he felt the bed shift from Riku's weight and finally turned his head to smile at him. "So...you wanted to _try_ making furniture...and the first thing you attempted is a bed?"

Riku snickered before turning to flop onto his back, "Hey, go big or go home, right?"

"Haha, right," Sora laughed and rolled over into Riku's side to stare up at the canopy as well. It was made of crosshatched wood, the way it was woven allowing tiny peeks of light to sparkle through. He could see the tops of the frame appeared to have rails, too? Does the canopy fold up, he wondered?

"I want the bedroom to have a skylight," Riku explained as if to answer Sora's unasked question. "So I got a little creative with the canopy. This way it can open and close whenever we want."

"Ooh! I like that idea!" Sora praised. He could already picture it, a large skylight where they could see the stars at night from the comfort of their bed with a canopy they can close so the morning sun doesn't wake them up too early in the mornings. It sounded perfect. He turned to cuddle into Riku's side and rested a hand over his broad chest, sighing happily as he felt Riku's arm reach to wrap around his shoulders. "You're right, this is a MUCH more comfortable place to take a nap."

"Heh, I'm glad," Riku smiled and leaned to press a sweet kiss to Sora's forehead before resting back against the pillows, his own eyes drifting closed as he reveled in the quiet moment.

Sora glanced up to drink in Riku's relaxed face. He looked so peaceful with the specks of golden light bedazzling his perfect features. He didn't feel so much like sleeping anymore, not just yet anyway, and moved to hover over him. Riku's eyes barely opened a millimeter before Sora lowered his head to take his lips with his. Riku gripped his hips gently and pulled him in closer to lay across his chest, murring happily as the two softly exchanged teasing touches with their tongues before exchanging them in a slow and heated dance. Lying on top of Riku, Sora could feel their hearts pounding together in a steady rhythm and could almost hear the song of their hearts playing in his ears alongside the quiet rolling of the ocean.

The two kissed until they were breathless. When they parted, Sora rested his head in the crook of Riku's neck, happily inhaling his scent as the silverette traced soothing fingers down his spine. Sora hummed contently as the gentle breeze made the sheer curtains flutter around them. The gentle rustling of the leaves in the branches that surrounded them reminded him of their cave-exploring adventure from their vacation and he couldn't help chuckling to himself. "We had a fun vacation, didn't we?"

Riku tightened his hold around Sora's waist ever so slightly. "Yeah, it was interesting to say the least," he let out a low chuckle in his throat that Sora could feel vibrating against his cheek.

"I'm sorry about what my mom said..." the younger teen murmured quietly, placing a featherlight kiss to the other's neck in apology. He felt Riku's grip around him tightening at the memory and he himself was clutching gently at Riku's t-shirt as he inwardly cringed.

Riku chuckled again, now almost smirking. "Don't be. I thought it was sweet."

Sora glanced up, slightly unconvinced. "Sweet, huh?"

"Yeah, she just didn't want her baby taken away." He glanced down to look at Sora. "It's just too bad you're my baby now."

Sora lifted his head and stared at him, blinking several times as he studied Riku's seemingly stoic face before tilting his head. "How can you say that with such a straight face?" he asked.

Riku broke the serious tone and laughed a little before pressing an apologetic kiss to Sora's forehead. "Why? Do you think it's weird when I call you that?" he asked playfully, his voice now teasing.

Sora smiled nervously, a little relieved that Riku was joking. "Yes...no?" His eyebrows furrowed. "Kinda...I dunno...guess it depends." He hummed thoughtfully before murmuring quietly, a light blush staining his cheeks. "Usually you only call me that when..."

Riku quirked an eyebrow with a small grin. "Yes?"

"When..." Sora whispered, his voice suddenly sounding incredibly small as he felt his heart skip a beat. The look on Riku's face told him all he needed to know. He leaned into him again, his heart now fluttering rapidly as he desperately kissed Riku, the older teen chuckling in mild surprise before returning the feverish kisses in kind.

The two kissed passionately, the heat growing between them until they almost couldn't stand it, but even then they both knew they wanted more. Sora was the first to tug on the bottom hem of Riku's shirt and they both barely parted in order to rip off their respective items of clothing before Sora jumped right back in to claim Riku's mouth. Skin flushed against skin, hearts pounding in their chests against each other, even Riku began to feel overwhelmed that he had to flip them over so he was on top where he could finally pull away, only to laugh breathlessly. "Take it easy, we got time. What's your rush?" he asked in a hoarse voice barely above a whisper.

"Sorry," Sora giggled just as breathlessly as he laid pinned beneath Riku. His own hand moved to rest over his scarred chest. "My heart's beating so fast."

"Mine too," Riku smiled fondly as he cupped Sora's flushed face. It was a miracle he could even hear the other teen as his own heart pounded in his ears.

The brunette smiled back just as fondly as his hands covered Riku's. But as he caught his breath, his eyes started to widen in realization. "Wait...Riku...are we...?"

"Yes..." Riku whispered as he swallowed hard around the tightness in his throat. "I mean, do you want to?"

"Yes!" Sora said in an excited yet raspy whisper but somehow it still felt a little too loud.

"Okay..." Riku nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Sora's smile widened.

"Yeah," Riku also smiled, a rare smile where he actually showed his teeth, wide enough that his eyes almost crinkled closed and Sora felt himself falling in love all over again, pulling him down by his shoulders to resume kissing him again.

Riku looks amazing in jeans but now Sora wanted nothing more than for them to be OFF. The soft, well-worn material OFFENDED him now as they were yet another barrier between him and Riku. He impatiently worked his fingers between their flush bodies to grapple with the button that kept them closed, surprising Riku yet again who gasped and broke the kiss to comply with Sora's not-so-silent wishes. But even as they both worked to remove the last of their clothing, they couldn't seem to disentangle their legs from each other long enough to do so very swiftly. Every inch of revealed skin enticed the other to cease what they were doing to touch and feel. Soft moans caught in their throats as they struggled but they also couldn't help the quiet laughter that escaped them as they finally rid themselves of the last barriers keeping them apart and tugged down the top sheet of the bed to cover themselves with. It was a needless gesture, but one Sora appreciated. The tenting of the soft, white fabric over their bodies somehow felt reassuring. As much as he wanted Riku for what felt like so long, he was nervous and he could tell Riku was too.

Riku drank in the look on Sora's face, his face flushed and his slightly bruised lips parted enticingly, his chest gently rising and falling as he panted quietly while he also devoured Riku with his eyes. Sora was too perfect. So many feelings surged through Riku's heart at once. He wanted to ruin him. To love him. To claim him. He wanted to make sure no other name would dare be uttered from Sora's luscious lips. Even if Sora had already promised himself to him forever, he wanted it to be guaranteed forever and always that he would never want another. He hated how possessive those sapphire eyes made him feel but oh how he relished it too, relished that somebody could make him feel this deeply. Sora's hand reached up to cup his cheek and he covered it with his own, turning his head to kiss his palm as the hot spikes plaguing his heart subsided, only replaced by gentle warmth as he now wanted nothing more than to show Sora nothing but the purest love he had to give. The desire to be one with him, the need to feel him and be a part of him forever...and once his eyes fluttered closed he could feel the same coming from Sora. He sighed softly, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Riku," the brunette whispered. "So much."

Riku dove his head down to kiss at Sora's neck, his mouth leaving a hot trail wherever he moved, across his clavicle, down his sternum, kissing every fading scar, every muscle, his lips memorizing every dip and crevice of his lithe, muscular form, all while Sora wriggled and writhed under him. But Riku kept him steady, hands firm on Sora's rolling hips as he explored him, almost forcing him to sink further into the soft bed as his soft coos and murmurs evolved into louder, needier moans. But even if Sora begged, Riku would not pick up the pace. He wanted to give Sora EVERYTHING. He WANTED everything. He wanted to feel every bit of how Sora's body has changed. He had more muscle, his shoulders were slightly broader, and even the subtle dip in his hips had changed, but he still felt so soft and pliant beneath his hands and tasted so divine.

"Riku...Riku..."

Sora's fingers dug into his shoulders, gripped him tightly and dragged down his pecs, leaving the barest traces of red lines as he pawed at Riku wantonly. "Riku, please," he moaned. Both of them were rockhard. Riku could feel the evidence of Sora's need prodding him in the stomach and his own was dragging against his thigh. Just hearing Sora call his name was a song he wanted to hear him sing over and over. It made his heart flutter and do backflips and it caused a rush in his stomach every time that made him groan but he couldn't lose control yet. They had a long way to go before he could allow himself to lose it and let everything free.

He moved one hand from Sora's hips, reached to grab at his backside, eliciting a broken sob from Sora. Gods, he wanted to hear more of those. The sound alone was intoxicating and he could already see himself becoming addicted to this, even more than he already was. The way Sora began to arch into his touches, the way he begged for him with his eyes and with his mewls, he wanted all of it. "I want you...I want you so bad."

"Riku..." Sora called his name again, breathlessly, flush, chest heaving, tears sparkling in the corners of his eyes. "Riku, please."

Riku gripped him tighter, fingertips grazing ever closer toward the next step of this journey they're embarking on together. But then he froze. His eyes widened and his body shook as he realized...he forgot something important.

Sora felt Riku freeze and swore he could feel the other's heart stop in his own chest. He shook off the lust-filled fog that was plaguing his brain and gently shook Riku's shoulder. "Riku? What is it?"

"I just...I forgot..." Riku's voice quivered, his face salmon pink...a shade of embarrassment...of shame.

"Forgot...?" Sora tilted his head.

"Something important," Riku tried to finish. "M-maybe we should..." he couldn't bring himself to finish that thought. It was too painful to think about putting this off for another time. His mind was racing to think of alternatives, but for Sora's first time, none of them seemed adequate. He cursed himself silently. How could he have forgotten!?

Sora snapped his fingers as he realized his dilemma. "OH! You mean you forgot the lube?"

The silverette choked on the air he was breathing and coughed almost violently. HOW COULD SORA ASK THAT SO EASILY!? "*COUGH COUGH* Yes...but I forgot...thecondomstoo..." he said that last part in a hurry. Even he couldn't bring himself to say these words so easily.

"Don't worry about it! I gotcha covered!" Sora grinned proudly. "Hand me my pants!" he made a grabby hand gesture towards the discarded garments lying behind Riku.

"Wait, what?" Riku blinked rapidly in surprise as he dumbly handed Sora what he asked for. "Sora...how...?"

The brunette giggled shyly as he dug through the large pockets. "Well, I asked Goofy to send them to me a while back."

"Wait...you asked GOOFY!?" Riku's face grew even redder. He was almost envious but also embarrassed for Sora. There'd be no way in hell he'd ever ask MICKEY for that sort of favor, that's for sure.

"Well, I wanted to be prepared," Sora said simply as he found the bottle of water-based lube and box of condoms in his pocket and handed them to Riku. "These okay?"

Riku was still trying to recover from the whirlwind of emotions he just went through as he studied both the items stuffed in his hands. "Yeah...these...will do. Ahem," he cleared his throat and gave his head a good shake before setting the items down and gathering Sora in his arms to kiss him deeply. "I love you so much!"

Sora laughed as Riku continued to pepper him with kisses even after he pulled away. "I love you, too! So we still good?"

"Yeah!" Riku laughed. "Just need a second to recover from the heart attack I gave myself."

"You're so cute, Riku!" Sora giggled.

"Okay, I get it. That's enough from the peanut gallery," Riku huffed and pushed Sora back down into the pillows, a streak of red still across his nose and cheeks.

Sora flopped back into the bed, still a mess of quiet giggles but then once Riku swooped back in and resumed devouring him with kisses and gentle nips, he soon became a desperate, moaning puddle all over again. He knew what was coming next and wrapped his arms around Riku's neck. "I'm ready," he whispered to assure him and heard Riku swallow hard before nodding minutely.

"Do you remember what I told you last time?" Riku whispered as he nuzzled his nose against Sora's.

"Yes," Sora whispered back.

"Okay. Take a couple of breaths and relax for me," Riku spoke quietly into his ear, leaning over to grab one of the pillows they weren't using and sliding it under Sora's hips so he wouldn't have to worry about it later. "I'll go slow, but I need you to tell me if you want me to stop, okay?"

"Okay," Sora nodded, and took a few deep breaths just as Riku instructed, closing his eyes and calming his heart as he listened to the sounds of Riku popping the cap off of the lube and applying it to his fingers. He tried not to giggle at the wet farting sound the bottle made but failed miserably, making Riku inevitably laugh too.

"Sora!" the older teen laughed and used his clean hand to slap Sora on the ass which only made Sora giggle even more. "It wouldn't make that noise if you haven't already used a bunch of it!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but I was curious!" Sora huffed. "And it feels much better than lotion!"

"So you HAVE been taking care of yourself? Even at home?" Riku quirked an eyebrow.

"Just before I actually hop in the shower. Less messy," Sora admitted quietly.

Riku grinned and kissed the tip of his nose as he circled a lubed finger around Sora's puckered entrance. Even warmed by Riku's hand, the feeling made Sora flinch and let out a tiny gasp. "I'm proud of you~" Riku praised.

"I-it's nothing worth praising me for," Sora stuttered as he turned redder.

"Hey, relax," Riku warned again quietly.

"S-sorry," Sora swallowed hard.

"It's okay. I got you," Riku whispered before he kissed Sora and slipped one finger inside. Sora gasped into his mouth and gently gripped his shoulders, his body vibrating from the intrusion as he tried to stay relaxed.

Riku felt his own hand shaking a little as he attempted to pleasure Sora and prepare him at the same time. It was definitely much different from doing it for himself. He remembered how it felt the first and only time he ever fingered Sora back in San Fransokyo. That felt so long ago now but he could remember every bit of it, especially what happened at the end. Thankfully this time Sora seemed to be keeping himself in check, or maybe they both were. He could definitely see himself losing it just by pleasing Sora alone and it took everything he had to keep from using his free hand to touch himself but he focused on Sora instead, using said free hand to comfort Sora by gently pressing down on his hip while he slipped a second well-lubed finger inside. Once he was in, he quickly lowered his head to take Sora's weeping erection into his mouth.

Just as Sora felt the burn of a second finger, he felt the bed shift as Riku knelt down between his legs and took his neglected length into his mouth. "RIKU!" he gasped and his eyes flew open as he felt himself become enveloped by wet heat. "Riku...Riku...aaahhh!" he cried out as the silverette wasted no time in swallowing him to the hilt, sucking on him in earnest just as he slid a third finger in. Again, he felt the burn of the steady stretch but it wasn't painful. Riku was more than generous with the lube so everything slid in easily, it was just the movement of his fingers that had Sora dazzled and alarmed at the same time, but Riku's ministrations with his mouth was excellent at keeping him distracted while his hand worked to stretch him.

Riku lifted his head and moaned around Sora's tip, gently vibrating it in his mouth as he concentrated on just FEELING Sora, his fingers probing for that area he knew would really make him feel good. Sora's cries of his name told him what he needed to know, but he sounded like he was protesting almost as much as he was encouraging his exploration with the way he keened and threw his head back while he let out his pleasured mewls. Every one of his cries made Riku's own member throb, every squeeze of Sora's insides around his exploring fingers made him moan louder around Sora's tip. When he found that spot he was looking for, Sora's voice raised several octaves and he threw his head back again almost violently as he became a crying mess. "WAIT, RIKU, WAIT!"

He could hear Sora screaming, but he didn't really hear Sora say "wait". To his ears it sounded like Sora was reaching his peak and he was determined to get him there, so he kept going! He gently thrusted his fingers into that delicious spot that had Sora writhing beneath his hand, had him crying towards the heavens until finally he screamed Riku's name one more time and spilled his seed into his eagerly sucking mouth. He swallowed every last bit of what Sora had to offer before pulling his lips off of him with a soft, wet pop and gently slid his fingers out of him with a quiet squelching noise before leaning back to look at Sora; to survey the damage he had done.

"Riku...Riku..." the brunette panted his name hoarsely, his face hidden behind his forearms as he had them laying across his face. "I'm...I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Riku laughed softly, leaning over him to leave a trail of kisses up his chest before finally reaching his jawline and then pressing several soft kisses to his lips. "Why? What do you have to be sorry for?"

The younger teen barely lifted his arms to look at him through one hazy, lust-fogged eye, "I tried to--I wanted to last 'til the end."

"Oh," Riku chuckled quietly, relieved that's all it was before he peppered Sora with more soothing kisses. "Don't be sorry. You're doing great." He kissed the tip of his nose and gently pried his arms away from his face so he could cup his cheeks before running a thumb up and down his forehead to clear away the wrinkles in his furrowed brow. "You did exactly what you're supposed to."

"I did?"

"Mm-hmm. This way you'll be relaxed during the next step."

"Next...oh!" he swallowed hard before nodding in understanding, his cheeks flushing all over again. "Okay."

"That is if you still want to keep going?"

"Mm-hmm! Yes, please!"

"Heh, you're kind of twisting my arm here," Riku joked, earning a gentle fwap on the thigh from Sora who giggled at the other's playful antics. While Sora caught his breath, Riku reached for the box of colorful condoms and pulled one out. He attempted to rip it open but his fingers were too slick.

"Here, let me," Sora giggled and offered his hand out.

"Heh," Riku chuckled and handed him the small packet which Sora ripped open easily and handed back to him. While Riku slipped the blue condom out he could feel Sora's eyes on him and suddenly felt a little shy about it, the irony of being shy about covering himself not lost on him. But as he started rolling it down his shaft, he heard a sharp intake of breath from Sora and looked up to see him seemingly getting turned on by the display. After that, all shyness was shoved aside. He even sat back so Sora could have a better view as he made a show of unrolling the rest of it down his length, watching Sora's face get redder and redder but still not tearing his gaze away even as his own cock started springing back to like. "Like that?" Riku asked cheekily.

"RIKU!!" Sora cried out and covered his face with his hands as if hearing his lover's voice snapped him back to reality and he just NOW realized he was staring.

Riku laughed heartily and hurried to hover back over Sora and pepper him with more kisses, even if it meant kissing the backs of his hands until Sora finally pried them away so he could accept his apologetic kisses properly. Once Riku could see his face again, he smiled softly at the teen while his hands moved to linger on Sora's hips. "Are you ready, beautiful?"

Sora felt his face burn as Riku gave him _the look_. The look that made his striking aqua blue eyes glimmer with the softest glow, a look that Sora had always imagined was reserved just for him and it took him until a year ago to realize it was probably true. Oh how he wanted him. Wanted all the love he could possibly have to give and even more after that and to give his own back in return. He had yearned for this and it was happening! Did Riku really think he would say no? "Take me," he whispered as he reached a hand to cup Riku's warm cheek. "Make me yours."

Riku shuddered hard and felt his body buckle as he gripped Sora's hips harder. "Damn it, Sora," he panted. "You nearly made me lose it."

Sora moaned from the display and wasn't about to let up, lifting his legs to wrap around Riku's waist so he could gently grind his hardening length against Riku's. "Please, Riku!" he pleased.

"Yes...yes..." Riku breathed, quickly grabbing the lube and applying a generous amount to himself and swirling it around Sora's entrance before lifting his hips again to press himself against his entrance, the motion earning a squeak from Sora. Now that he was just about to enter, he forced himself to calm and remembered to calm Sora as well. "Breathe with me," he whispered.

"Mm-hmm," Sora nodded and closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax as he felt Riku press to his entrance. Around the third breath, he felt Riku push himself inside and let out a gasp as his length fill him up. He slid in easily and though Riku did a thorough job of prepping him, there was still a burn as he was stretched. But it wasn't painful, it was just...different. But even if it did hurt, he wouldn't have asked Riku to stop. He's felt worse. This was nothing. Once he got over the initial sting and felt Riku sheathe himself completely inside, he made grabby hands for the elder teen so he could hold him close.

"Sora..." Riku panted against his neck, his body quivering as Sora's inner walls squeezed around him. His mind reeled at the thought of FINALLY. Just FINALLY. He languidly pressed kisses to Sora's neck, nipping and sucking as he waited for Sora to adjust, listening to the rise and fall of the brunette's breaths carefully.

"Riku...you're inside me!" Sora whispered as he clutched his love tightly.

"Yeah," Riku smiled as he lifted his head to drink in the look on Sora's face to see his eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he too smiled.

"I'm so happy," Sora murmured, reaching down between them to feel where he and Riku were joined. He almost couldn't believe it, but it was happening. He could feel Riku's heartbeat pulsing between them, inside of him in a whole new way. But there was something else too. He wasn't just Sora anymore. The old Sora had been gone for a while now. But now he was Sora...and Riku. Sora, as in the one in love with Riku. Sora, Riku's lover. That's what he is. While lost in his racing thoughts, he felt Riku press more kisses to his cheeks and let out a quiet sob as he clutched him tighter. "I love you, Riku."

"I love you, too, so much..." Riku's body shook again. He was definitely not going to last long at this rate. "Is it okay...if I move now?"

"Yes!" Sora hissed excitedly as he loosened his grip so Riku could move. "Sorry."

"Heh, don't worry," he kissed the tip of his nose affectionately. "I'll go slow, okay?"

"Okay," the brunette murmured and rested further back into the pillows while Riku lifted and adjusted his hips. "I'm ready."

"Okay," Riku smiled before slowly pulling out, earning a wince of slight discomfort from Sora but he took the opportunity to apply more lube before entering him again, this time aiming for the spot he spent the time to look for before.

"AAH!" Sora cried out as Riku struck his spot in the one go! "Riku!"

"Good?" Riku asked, sweat dripping off his forehead now as he gripped Sora's hips.

"Yes! Please, keep going!" the smaller teen pleaded, rolling his hips to encourage the other.

Riku didn't need telling twice, pulling out about halfway before thrusting in again, a little faster than before, but still slow. When he sheathed himself in all the way again and felt those delicious walls clamp around him, he nearly choked on the air he was breathing.

"Does...does it feel good, Riku?" Sora asked in a wrecked voice.

"Yes..." Riku hissed. "So good. You're everything I've ever dreamed of."

"Rikuuuuu..." Sora moaned at the praise and rolled his hips again, earning another hiss of pleasure from Riku.

"I'm not going to last long," the silverette warned.

"Me neither," Sora replied honestly, his own erection swollen and heavy as it laid dripping across his abdomen. "You can go faster, I want...I want to feel it."

Riku moved and Sora moved with him. Slowly but surely, Riku built up the pace and Sora further encouraged him by lifting his hips to meet his thrusts. Every thrust struck something inside both of them, eliciting cries from each of them as they rode out their combined pleasure together. Riku's thrusts became more and more shallow as he wanted nothing more than to be close to Sora, gripping his hips tightly as he curled forward and Sora met him partway, gripping his shoulders and smashing their lips together in a sloppy kiss as Riku pounded away inside of him.

"GODS! AAAHH!! MMMM!! MMM!! RIKU! RIKU!" Sora cried. "I can't--I'm gonna--"

"Me too! Sora! Ha...Aaah...cum for me, Sora!"

With one last cry of Riku's name, Sora threw his head back and squeezed Riku's hips tightly with his legs as he spurt all over his own stomach and chest. "RIKUUUUU!!"

Riku practically roared as he felt Sora clamp down around him, forcing out his own release in heavy spurts as Sora's insides milked him for all he was worth. His cock throbbed and he knew Sora could feel it too as the brunette was moaning every time it did. "Sora...Sora..." he whispered the other's name as he finished before gently pulling out and collapsing in a heap next to him, doing his best to ensure he didn't flatten the teen.

"Riku...Riku..." Sora whispered for him, hand crawling on the bed to grab for Riku's. When he found it, the two clutched hands and held them while they came down from their high. "Riku...that was..."

"Yes...it was..." Riku agreed. Neither needed to finish their sentences. They knew full well what the other was feeling. Words weren't needed. But what WAS needed were some cuddles. So once Riku got the feeling back in his other arm, he dug under the pillows for a towel he had hidden there and carefully wiped Sora off, careful not to touch his oversensitive areas and set it aside before sitting up with a grunt and removing his condom. After he tied it up properly, he leaned over Sora and shoved one of the curtains aside to toss it.

"Riku!" Sora gasped, wriggling the pillow out from beneath him that had been propping up his hips to see where the heck Riku tossed the used prophylactic. "What the heck are you--" A familiar CLACK CLACK answered Sora's question, the brunette's eyes widening as he sat up to see Rufus the trash can near the bed. "RUFUS!? Have you been there the whole time?"

"Why do you sound so concerned?" Riku laughed as he flopped back on the bed. "It's a trash can."

"A trash can named Rufus!" Sora huffed as he reminded Riku, lying back down and cuddling into his side.

"Yes, yes, I remember," Riku chortled.

"Hmm. So you remembered to bring Rufus up here, but you forgot the condoms?" Sora teased as he lazily traced invisible patterns into Riku's chest, his eyelids growing heavy.

"Yeah, well I can't just ask for that stuff like you apparently can," Riku huffed as he wrapped an arm around the brunette to pull him closer and used his feet to grab the edge of the forgotten sheet to kick it up and cover the both of them with it. "I still can't believe you had the balls to ask Goofy for that stuff."

"Well, he's like an older brother to me," Sora reasoned. "And he has a son in college so I figured he'd be used to this sort of thing."

"Wait, he does?" Riku blinked. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I think his name is Max," Sora yawned. "He mentioned he goes to school in Twilight Town, I think. Recent transfer or something."

"I see," Riku hummed tiredly, turning to bury his face into Sora's hair and wrap both arms around Sora who entangled his legs between Riku's in kind. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he rubbed Sora's lower back.

"Sore," he answered honestly. "But not in a bad way," he assured him.

"Was it everything you hoped for?" the silverette murmured as he traced his fingers through the hair on the nape of Sora's neck.

"Mmmm," Sora nodded nodded against Riku's chest. "Everything and more. I love you."

"I love you, too," Riku whispered as he felt Sora fall asleep against him. "Always..." he murmured before letting himself drift off as well.


	62. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moms just know!

_"Did you forget, Sora? In the other timeline you aren't even alive!"_

_"...I was told to save Sora."_

_"Then what's with the weapon!?"_

_"Sorry, but I don't lose."_

Sora woke up with a start. His heart was racing, forehead dripping with cold sweat, and he didn't recognize where he was. He winced as his eyes adjusted to the late afternoon sun that was beginning its descent into the horizon. His fists clutched the white sheets as he slowly recalled where he was. Behind him, Riku stirred and moved his strong arm from around his hip to his middle, his large hand a comforting presence on his stomach.

"You okay?" Riku mumbled sleepily into Sora's neck before pressing a kiss behind his ear.

"I'm fine. I guess when you have the same nightmare so many times it eventually loses its shock value, you know?" Sora chuckled but it sounded unconvincing, even to himself.

"Yeah, but your heart is still racing," Riku observed quietly as he moved his hand higher to Sora's chest.

"Yeah..."

"Breathe for me. Focus on my hand and push out."

Sora does so, breathing along with Riku until he calms down, as if Riku's hand over his chest was actually soothing his heart directly. "You're the best..." he sighed happily, moving his hand over Riku's to intertwine their fingers.

"Feel better?" Riku asked, pulling Sora even closer to him so that their warm bodies were now completely flush together.

"Yeah, just..." he trailed off, worrying his lower lip before answering. "Remember after you found me? There were a lot of things I couldn't remember."

"Mm-hmm?" Riku turned his face out of Sora's hair to show he was listening intently.

"I thought I've remembered most of it by now. But now I feel like I've forgotten something important. I'm...I'm anxious."

"Are you sure THAT'S why you're anxious?" the silverette asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

The older teen squeezed Sora's hand gently. "Well, sometimes after doing something like what we've just done, you get a case of the blues."

Sora wrinkled his brow as he tried to understand, "So like...a crash after a sugar high?"

"Exactly," Riku smiled.

Sora turned in his arms to face him, "Well, maybe, but..."

The other teen continued to smile fondly and kissed the tip of his nose. "Hey," he whispered softly, "If it's that important and you want to talk, I'll listen. But for now, let me take care of you."

Sora's eyes fluttered closed, "Mm...okay..."

"How about a snack? I got ice cream."

Sora's eyes shot open, interest piqued, "Freezy Timmy's?"

"Of course!" the older teen laughed.

"Yes, please!"

"Okay, hang tight. I'll go get it," Riku ruffled his hair affectionately and gave him a quick kiss before rolling off the bed, taking the sheet with him and wrapping it around his waist to preserve some modesty while he headed for the main room.

Sora giggled to himself watching Riku go, now left to cuddle with one of the larger pillows while he's gone. The playful summer breeze felt so good on his exposed back. He couldn't help but let out a blissful sigh as the cool wind licked at his hot skin, still heated after his lovemaking with Riku. He felt a pleasant ache all over, a sort of subtle yet playful reminder of what they've shared together. He couldn't help blushing as he remembered what Riku's hands felt like when they touched the places that ached the most, the places that still felt hot. As his face grew hotter, he just couldn't take it, burying his face into the pillow to muffle his emotional squealing to get it out of his system before Riku came back, feet flutter-kicking into the fluffy mattress.

Within a few moments, he heard Riku's steps and tried to contain his giddy behavior before he approached the bed with two bright green ice pops in hand. "Ooh! What flavor is this?" he asked as he accepted one of the offered ice creams while Riku got back into the bed beside him.

"Green apple sherbet, I think," Riku answered before taking a bite. "Sorry, they didn't have strawberry," he joked.

Sora scowled at the low ball joke before he too took a bite. "You know, I don't even like strawberries that much." He puffed his cheeks out in a pout as he chewed the frozen dessert. It was a nice sour apple flavor with just the right amount of sour.

"Yeah, but I know they're becoming your favorite~" the older male continued to tease.

"Shut up!"

Riku cackled and reached his free arm around to pull Sora close to him. "So what are you going to tell your mom?"

The brunette nearly chokes on his ice cream! "What do you mean?? Why does my mom have to know?"

"She's going to know. It's still written all over your face!"

"Oh like it's not on yours!?"

Riku's face reddens but he avoids answering by casting a cure spell on Sora, the small red marks he left behind disappearing from his neck, chest, and hips.

Sora shudders as the spell takes effect, a little sad that most of the ache from before was now gone. But he knew it was for the best. "Never mind my mom. When are we going to do it again?"

This time it was Riku's turn to sputter. "Again? I dunno, let's see how long it takes until you aren't sore anymore."

"Who says I'm sore now? You healed me."

"Give it time, I have a feeling you will be," Riku smirked.

"And if I'm not?" Sora pushed.

"We'll see."

"Hmmm...what if I wanted to do something else right now? Maybe...something to even the score?" the brunette grinned up at Riku as he suggestively sucked on his ice cream.

Riku blushed a little before turning away so he wouldn't have to look at him. "Ha, no thank you. Once is enough for me today."

"But you--"

"I took care of things yesterday so I could that I could stay in control today. What, did you really think I'd be able to hold back for as long as I did while being as pent up as you normally are?" he asked rhetorically while he bit into his ice cream.

"Awww, Riku~" the younger teen gushed happily.

"It's no big deal," Riku insisted, cheeks still pink as he took another bite.

"Uh-huh. So...you really did plan this, huh?" Sora grinned.

"Yes? No? I mean I had a plan, yes..." Riku muttered.

Sora smirked again as he thought about how much Riku had apparently prepared and yet forgot the lube and condoms in the end. His eyes then widened as he realized something. "This is just like the raft!"

Riku spun his head back around with a look of indignation on his face. "What? What do you mean? This is nothing like the raft!"

"IT IS!" Sora grinned widely. "You made us a love boat but you forgot the supplies. That's so like you~"

"Shush or I'm taking your ice cream."

"You can't take it! I'm already eating it!"

"You know that wouldn't stop me."

"Hmph," Sora huffed and hurried to eat the rest of it before Riku could make good on his threat.

"Anyway," Riku sighed before finishing off the last of his. "We both smell. We need to do something about it."

"Pffft, what are we supposed to do? Wouldn't it arouse more suspicion if I try to sneak into my own house to use the shower?" Sora scoffed.

"There's always the waterfall," Riku suggested half-heartedly.

"No way, too cold!"

"Water spell, then?"

"Why bother? We were supposedly working all day, right? Shouldn't we be expected to stink? Wouldn't it be even weirder if we came home squeaky clean?"

"Yeah, maybe it'd be fine if we actually smelled like we were working...like wood and dirt and stuff. But we don't. We smell like..." Riku trailed off.

"Smell like what?" Sora asked cheekily, just because he knows Riku's too shy to say it.

Riku rolled his eyes, not in the mood for games. "We smell like sex, Sora."

"What does sex smell like?" Sora giggled. "I personally can't smell anything."

"You really can't smell anything?" Riku blinked.

Sora leaned in and took a good whiff of Riku. "I dunno, you smell a little sweaty but you still smell like you always do...maybe with something a little extra. But it doesn't smell bad!"

Riku furrowed his brow. "It doesn't smell bad to YOU because you're a fellow participant. I'm pretty sure to anybody else it might be slightly unpleasant...and OBVIOUS, which is the point I'm trying to make!"

Sora was practically ignoring him at this point. "What do I smell like?" he asked, his voice laced with a laugh.

"Are we really doing this?" Riku sighed but leaned in to Sora's neck to get a good whiff. "You smell like..."

"Yes?" Sora giggled as Riku's breath tickled his neck. However, Riku didn't respond. Instead he seemed to be taking a long time. "Like what...?" he asked impatiently.

"Hold on," the older teen mumbled as he keeps smelling him, now becoming intoxicated by Sora's scent. It lit a small fire in his middle that made him wrap his arms tighter around Sora as he nuzzled further into his neck, now murring incoherently as he began pressing kisses wherever his lips could reach.

"Riku~" Sora cooed softly as Riku's lips began exploring his neck. The kisses turned into nibbles and then said lips began to suck. "Wait," he moaned almost breathlessly as he gently tried to push Riku off. "Wait, Riku!" He tried to stop him before things got more heated, knowing that they'd be in trouble if he let Riku continue. Suddenly Riku growled into his ear and shoved him back down on the bed, earning a yelp from Sora. "RIKUUUUUUUUU!!!!"

. . .

The sun was beginning to set now, barely any light left when both teens were sated. Their breaths heaving as they laid on their backs next to each other, clutching hands as they tried to cool themselves down.

"Nice...going..." Sora panted. "Oh yeah, totally in control, he says. _Once is enough for me today~_ ," he teased as he imitated the teen lying beside him. He glances over to see Riku glaring at him and bursts into a fit of giggles, rolling over onto his side to avoid the other's seething gaze.

"Hmph," Riku rolled his eyes before reaching over and slapping the perky ass that was now peeking out from under the sheet, earning a high-pitched yelp from the brunette.

"AGH!" the spanked teen squeaked and tried to cover his ass with his hands to avoid another beating but then he felt the bed dip!

"Come here, you!" Riku growls playfully, grabbing Sora and pulling him close again to omnom his neck, earning another fit of giggles from the smaller teen.

"Rikuuuuuuuu!" Sora giggled happily as his feet flailed under the covers. "Hehehe! Okay okay, for real now, what are we going to do?"

The two decided on casting a water spell over themselves for a quick cold shower. Sora even found a small bar of soap deep in his pants pockets from his camping set, so they lathered themselves up with that in the more problematic spots before casting waterga AGAIN.

"Shame to ruin the mood with a cold shower," Sora pouted as he shivered after the second dousing.

"Maybe it's better this way," Riku smirked.

"What, you needed to be cooled off?" Sora smirked back.

"Says the one who was trying to tempt me in the first place," Riku scoffed.

"I dunno what you're talking about~," Sora retorted not-so-innocently as he cast an aero spell to dry them off. It did the job, but now they were both left with very fluffy hair.

"That should do it, I guess," Riku gave himself a quick sniff before hurrying to put on his clothes. "Now you just need to play it cool."

"Why are you telling ME?" Sora crossed his arms with shirt in hand, pants halfway hanging off his hips as he frowned at Riku. "Need I remind you that--"

"I'M going to be wearing my contacts!" Riku interrupted before Sora could finish that sentence, wiggling the tiny case in front of him. "So I'm going to be just fine. You on the other hand need to look like you ACTUALLY did some work. You wouldn't have that happy look on your face if you spent all day performing manual labor."

"What happy look?" Sora tried his best to look grumpy but there was still a giddy sparkle in his eyes and the tiniest grin on the corners of his lips and the longer he tried to hold that so-called grumpy look, the more pink his cheeks got as his mind drifted back to what they just did, eager to relive that memory again. He saw Riku staring at him with an unconvinced look on his face and deflated, shaking his head as if to shake the giddy blushy thoughts right out of himself. He made a couple of hops and smacked his own cheeks a couple of times with his hands to psyche himself up. "URGH! Don't worry! I got this!" he nodded firmly. "Nobody will suspect a thing!"

. . .

The two rode back home on Riku's keyblade armor vehicle. With nothing but the sound of the motor and wind rushing in his ears, Sora had nothing but his own thoughts to occupy himself as he straddled the bike behind Riku. With the teen's strong, sculpted body in his arms and between his legs, his thoughts inevitably returned to their lovemaking and he felt his cheeks burn against Riku's back. So despite his best efforts, he was a giddy mess all over again by the time Riku dropped him off. With one last kiss good night from Riku, he dismounted the bike and made the short walk to his door, feeling light as air and his brain in a pleasant fog.

Riku watched him practically stumble to his front door and shook his head with a heavy sigh. "We're doomed," he smiled helplessly, silently wishing Sora luck before driving back to his own place. 

When Sora entered his house, he carefully took his shoes off and set them neatly by the door, making as little noise as possible so he wouldn't attract too much attention to himself. He didn't even bother announcing he was home as he headed for the kitchen so he could go to his room and change before dinner. That was the plan, anyway. But when he saw his dad reading the evening paper at the table and his mom attending to dinner on the stove in his peripheral vision, he said, "Morning, mom!" as he passed her.

Sora's mom turned at the odd greeting. "Morning?"

Sora froze in place as he just now realized what he had said. Even his dad looked up from his paper with a quirked eyebrow. He awkwardly tried to laugh it off as he rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry! I mean to say evening! Haha, hoooo, I must be tired. Um, I'm gonna go change!" he turned back around quickly and tried to make haste for the stairs.

"NOT SO FAST!" Sora's mother commanded, her voice stopping him dead in his tracks. "Turn around."

He had no choice but to obey her. That tone was enough to scare anybody to their knees. He slowly turned on his heel and tried to smile innocently at her. "What's wrong?"

"Hmmmmm..." she bent forward so her eyes were level with his as she studied his face. It only took a minute before she gasped and dropped the ladle she was holding with a loud clatter. "SORA!! You didn't!"

"Did what??" Sora gulped, now sweating profusely as he tried to his best to play dumb but it clearly wasn't working as he watched his mom's face go from shocked to almost teary in two seconds flat.

"Don't play dumb with me! I KNOW THAT FACE! YOUR FATHER MAKES THAT SAME FACE!" she shrieked and gathered him in a tight, bone-crushing hug and began wailing! "MY BABY HAS BEEN DEFILED!"

"Mom, please! Stop! I don't know what you're talking about!" he insisted as his face grew beet red, both from embarrassment and from quickly losing oxygen as she started squeezing the life out of him.

She ignored him but she let him go to turn dramatically to husband who very cautiously looked up from his paper. The second she lets him go, Sora covers his face with his hands, now truly mortified while his mom pleaded with his dad to say something, "HONEY, SAY SOMETHING! OUR BABY HAS BEEN DEFLOWERED!"

"MOMMMMMMMMMM!!!" the brunette screamed from behind his hands. He knows in his heart his mom is mostly joking and teasing him to teach him some kind of lesson but he legitimately feels like he's going to die of embarrassment. But when he heard his dad put down his paper, he dared to look at him from between his fingers.

"Were you safe?" his dad asked calmly.

"Yeah," Sora managed to squeak nervously.

"Were you hurt?"

"No?" Sora cautiously answered.

"Do I need to yell at anybody?"

"Mm-mmm," Sora shook his head no.

"Well, then congratulations, I guess," Sora's dad shrugged but there was clearly an amused twinkle in his eyes before he hid back behind his paper.

"CONGRATULATIONS!?" Sora's mom gasped. "Is that all you gotta--" she was then interrupted by her phone ringing on the countertop which she answered quickly as soon as she saw who the call was from.

Sora was about to silently thank whoever was important enough to pry his mom's attention from this whole fiasco but before he could even let himself breathe a sigh of relief, he heard a familiar voice on the other end of the phone and his heart STOPPED.

"Hey! Yeah, I was just about to ask...uh-huh...yup!" she turned to shoot another look at Sora. "Exactly. TOTALLY WRITTEN ON HIS FACE!"

Sora facepalmed and quietly slinked to his bedroom as his mom screamed along with Riku's mom over the phone. "Bet Riku's wishing he wore his blindfold instead," he muttered to himself.

Despite how loud everything was before, dinner was pretty quiet. Sora's mom kept exchanging strange looks with his father, but other than that, she seemed to have calmed down. Again, she didn't actually seem mad about the whole ordeal. After all, he and Riku only promised that they would not participate in the "hanky panky" when they're studying together. There was nothing mentioned about what they did during other activities. But even so, he couldn't help feeling that maybe some amount of trust might have been lost. Even so, the dinner conversation remained pleasant until after dessert was over. That was when Sora's dad suddenly began to speak in a tone he wasn't that familiar with. It was serious and maybe even a little solemn.

"So I guess we better schedule you an appointment," he said matter-of-factly while he sipped the last of his coffee.

"Appointment? For what?" Sora blinked.

"Well, now that you're sexually active, the responsible thing to do is to get yourself tested," he answered bluntly.

"T-tested?" the teen gaped.

"Ideally you should've done that first," his dad pointed out while he thumbed the rim of his coffee cup. "I wish you would've told me you two were...getting to that stage. Then we could've gotten this taken care of."

"Wait wait," Sora held his hands up as if to say "slow down!" "We used a condom. And this is the first time, I swear! Neither of us have been with anybody else, so we're clean! I don't see why a test should be necessary."

"You've been to many places, fought many things, been INJURED, right? Who knows what you could've caught while on the battlefield or whatever you were doing. Sorry to give you a morbid dose of reality, but it's very possible you could've swapped blood with whoever you were fighting and who knows what you could have caught!" he explained curtly, setting his coffee cup down a little harder than he meant to, resulting in a loud clatter that startled both Sora and his mom who was now silent for once but agreeing with her husband.

Sora's clasped his hands under the table to keep them from shaking and swallowed hard around the lump growing in his throat. It hurt to think about, but his dad was right. He never thought about this stuff before. He had only fought heartless for the longest time, not humans. But now thinking back, had he not fought with pirates and now the New Organization XIII? All of which were human. Blood was definitely spilt on both sides. But with things like magic and potions healing wounds in the blink of an eye, he never thought about any other potential consequences. Somehow thinking about it made the darkness shards embedded in his body seem much less scary. "I'm sorry, I didn't think...but you understand, right?" he looked to both of his parents pleadingly. "How long did you really expect us to wait?"

"Until you were old enough to understand the responsibility involved with taking such actions, at the very least," his dad answered curtly. "That's why these rules are set in place at your school. It's to keep you safe until you're ready for such things. I know you two have been through a lot and feel you are way beyond the other kids your age in terms of what you have experienced and whatnot. But at the end of the day, while you may have matured in some ways, you're still young! Yes, on paper, you're old enough to be considered adults, but up here, you're still kids!" his dad huffed while tapping Sora on the head roughly enough to make the teen wince.

At the mention of school, Sora suddenly realized something. "But...if I get tested, won't the school be notified that I'm sexually active?" he asked quietly.

"It's possible..." his dad sighed.

"Fine...I'll get tested. But...I'm going to my own doctor. I'm not getting tested here," Sora said firmly.

"You need to go to a real doctor, Sora. Not some warlock or wizard or whatnot," his mother sighed with exasperation.

"I know. Don't worry," he tried to give both of them a reassuring smile. "I'll get it taken care of."

His dad tried to smile back. "You know we're not doing this to punish you, right? We really are happy for you and Riku and we understand what it's like to be young...and well...point is it's our job to make sure you make responsible decisions in regards to your health and safety."

Sora nodded, his smile broadening. "I know, dad. Thank you. I love you both..." he snickered and then shot a sideways glance at his mother. "Are you SURE you're not mad? I mean I thought you would've saw this coming."

"I did, but that doesn't mean I was ready for it," his mom huffed but then smirked. "I just hope you've learned your lesson and that you'll get better at getting rid of that post-coital glowy face before you go back to school."


	63. Past and Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys hurry to get their tests done and stop by the lab. Sora learns some new worrying information.

Sora lay in bed on his stomach while he texted rapidly on his gummi phone. He needed to think of a plan and fast. Sure, he promised his parents he'd take care of things but now that it's all said and done, he wasn't sure if he'd actually be able to pull it off. He only knew of two places where he could probably get blood tests done and one of them was a huge maybe...and it was unfortunately the one he preferred. So he texted both of them and hoped for the best.

"Please, Hiro..." he pleaded quietly. "I don't want to have to go to the lab..."

While he waited for a response, he groaned into his pillow. He was starting to feel sore now, and it doesn't feel as nice now as it did before now that the happy fog had been all but swept away from his brain. "So glad it's the weekend," he grumbled to himself.

Suddenly he got a reply, his phone beeping twice with responses from both parties he messaged. "YES!" he quickly hurried to open Hiro's response first.

Sora: Hey, Hiro! I know it's been a while, but I need a favor. ^^;  
Hiro: Sora! Sure, ask away!

Sora hesitated for a moment, an embarrassed blush now rising to his cheeks. Hoo boy, how to approach this topic? Eh, they're only a year apart, right? It should be fine.

Sora: Can Baymax do blood tests?  
Hiro: He could, in theory. I'll have to double-check his medical procedure list. Why, what's up?  
Sora: Uh...Riku and I have taken the "next step" and my dad says I should get a blood test.  
Hiro: Next step?  
Hiro: Wait  
Hiro: Whoa  
Sora: Yeah ^^;

Sora groaned into his pillow again as he waited for the response. "Kill me nowwwwwww," he whined. It took a couple of minutes for Hiro to respond. Sora had begun to wonder if maybe the other teen had decided to leave him hanging but he got a beep.

Hiro: Don't you have a doctor where you live who can do this sort of thing for you?  
Sora: Yes, but you know my line of work. Any bad results might lead to too many questions. Plus, my school might find out. >////<;;;  
Hiro: I see, so you're not just worried about STDs, you're asking about other bloodborne illnesses.  
Sora: Basically checking the All-Of-The-Above option if there is one, yeah. =\  
Hiro: Gotcha. Well, turns out Baymax is programmed to check for any of the usual suspects. So yeah, we can get that done for you and Riku if you want.  
Sora: Really??? Thatd be awesome!! Tysm!!! I owe you big time!  
Hiro: Just buy me lunch and we'll call it even.  
Sora: You got it! :D  
Hiro: Think you can swing by tomorrow?  
Sora: I'll be there!  
Hiro: See you then!

"WOOHOO!" Sora cheered punched the air happily before wincing and rubbing his lower back. "I should text Riku!"

But just as he was about to hover his thumb over Riku's name, he remembered he had to respond to the other message. It was from Ienzo. "Guess I better answer them first..."

Sora: Hey, Ienzo! Was wondering if the lab can perform blood tests?  
Ienzo: Well, yes, we can analyze your blood for any irregularities. Did something happen?

"Oh something happened, all right," Sora snickered to himself before his thumbs got to work.

Sora: I WAS going to ask bc apparently that's how things are done when you're getting serious with who you're dating. But I got somebody else to do it for me. So nvm. Sorry if I woke you.  
Ienzo: Wait!  
Ienzo: First, congratulations. Second, even so, I WOULD like for you to come by the lab. I've been meaning to ask you and Riku if you'd stop by for a physical exam.  
Sora: Why? o.o?  
Ienzo: Just to make sure there are no long-term effects from the ordeal both your bodies have been through. You have recovered from a huge ordeal and Riku's wounds have been healed through other means. We want to make sure everything is still okay.

The brunette sighed. "Well, I guess we could swing by the lab on the way back. It couldn't hurt..."

Sora: Sure, I'll ask Riku and get back to you.  
Ienzo: Excellent. Have a good night, Sora.  
Sora: You too. :)

Next, Sora texted Riku. For once he was a little nervous. He hadn't talked to him since Riku dropped him off at home but from what little he overheard from their moms talking, he wasn't any better at keeping a straight face than he was. _Heh, straight face...Yeah, right._

Sora: Rikuuuuuuuuuuuuuu  
Riku: Soraaaaaaaaaaa  
Sora: You asleep yet?  
Riku: Obviously not? =P  
Sora: So you let the cat out of the bag, huh? :3  
Riku: Speak for yourself. >O  
Sora: LOL :P  
Riku: What's up?  
Sora: My dad said stuff like I should take a blood test.  
Riku: My mom said something similar. Not sure how I feel about it. :\  
Sora: I think I got us covered. Hiro said we can come tomorrow and get it done.  
Riku: Wow, you work fast. <3  
Sora: Hehe <3 <3 <3  
Sora: There's a catch tho  
Riku: Of course there is.  
Sora: First, we buy Hiro lunch.  
Riku: And?  
Sora: Aaaaaaaand we gotta swing by the lab. Ienzo wants to run tests. I think it's mostly me, tho.  
Riku: But he said me too?  
Sora: Yup. Just to see how our injuries are doing, I guess. Idk  
Riku: That's fine. Not like I'd leave you in that lab by yourself anyway. ;)  
Sora: Ur the best! <3  
Riku: So let's meet at the beach tomorrow and head over to Hiro's?  
Sora: Sounds like a plan! I'll be there.  
Riku: Ok. Get some sleep. Good night.  
Sora: G'night. Dink~ <3  
Riku: Dink. <3

Sora smiled happily as the screen dimmed on his phone. As soon as the room darkened entirely he felt his eyelids get heavy. It'll just be him and Riku tomorrow, then. If only they still had the gummi ship so they could hang out in the cockpit with the ship on autopilot. But flying through the stars together would be fine, too. With that thought in mind, he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Sora awoke to his gummi phone vibrating in his hand. It was a kingstagram notification. "Wuh?" he mumbled sleepily, having fallen asleep with said device in his hand instead of putting it on the nightstand. He winced again as he stirred. "Heal!" he muttered to cast a curaga spell on himself in an attempt to dismiss the nagging literal pain in his ass. This time the soreness disappeared entirely, much to his relief. He still groaned as he sat up out of bed, however, not eager to be awake this early in the morning. With a sigh, he reached under the bed and grabbed a potion, popping the cap off as he thumbed his phone to open the kingstagram app. Every morning he still cast a cure spell and drank a potion in an effort to speed up the healing process of the scar on his chest and whatever else might still need the extra help. He still couldn't believe it's already been a little over a year since he got hurt. Thanks to his daily diligent efforts, the huge scar on his chest was starting to smooth out and didn't bruise as easily as it used to. Even the color was starting to look better.

As he sipped his potion he scrolled through the kingstagram posts that were posted last night and one in particular made him do a spit-take!

"PBBBBBBBBBBBBT!!!" Sora nearly choked as he sprayed potion everywhere! "THEY DIDN'T!!!! WHY DIDN'T THEY SAY ANYTHING!?!" he practically screamed as he dumped the rest of the potion on himself to absorb it, not really caring to finish it orally anymore as he frantically wiped his screen clean.

Pictured on Axel's feed were Axel and Isa posing with what appeared to be wedding rings on their fingers in front of the Twilight Town courthouse. Axel was wearing a gold ring with a tiny red ruby and Isa was wearing a silver one with a blue sapphire of the same size. Behind them, Sora could make out Roxas, Xion, and Naminé in the background and what appeared to be an extra black boot in the bottom left corner. "Is that Vanitas?" Sora squinted. They must've had to crop him out of the picture before they posted it so Ven and the others wouldn't see. The caption below read: ELOPED! <#3marriedlife <#3hesminenow

Sora hurried to post his congratulations in the comments. He then texted Roxas to ask WHAT THE HECK?

Sora: Why didn't you tell me they were getting married!?  
Roxas: cuz i had no idea obv :P  
Sora: They didn't tell you? O.O???  
Roxas: No! After school they were like "were going to courthouse! hurry up!"  
Roxas: Next thing we kno theyre married O_O  
Sora: Wow! That's one way to do it, I guess. LOL  
Roxas: rite? lol

The two texted for a few more minutes before Sora said bye so he could get ready for the day. He had almost forgotten that he was supposed to meet Riku at the beach. With a stretch and a yawn, he hurried to take a shower and with hair still slightly damp, he changed into his combat gear before heading downstairs to grab a quick bite to eat before his parents woke up. But once he entered the kitchen, he found his mom was already awake and making breakfast.

"Good morning," she greeted, eyeing his clothes. "Going somewhere?"

"Good morning," he greeted back. "Yeah, me and Riku are gonna go get that blood test thing done."

"Wow, you figured that out fast. Well, make sure you take some food with you. And take some for Riku too."

Now armed with a couple of small bentos, Sora made his way to the beach after breakfast, still wiping some of crumbs of toast off his front as he flow-motioned over there, knowing that Riku was probably already there waiting. Sure enough, the elder teen was there chilling on a log waiting for him to show up.

"Morning, Riku! Mom told me to give you this!" he greeted, handing Riku the small box.

"Oh, thanks," Riku smiled, accepting the box and packing it away for later. "So I guess she's not mad at me?"

"She could never be mad at you, Riku!" Sora giggled. "You know that."

"Your mom's a special character. I feel like I can never read her properly, even though you two are so much alike," Riku crossed his arms thoughtfully as he smirked.

"I think all moms are like that," Sora laughed. "They can read us, but we can't read them back."

"Heh, true enough. So you ready to get going?" Riku asked as he equipped his armor.

"Ready when you are!" Sora grinned as he equipped his as well.

"Race you there?"

"Oh, you know it!"

Within a couple of hours, the two had made it to San Fransokyo (Riku won). The two found a skyscraper to make their landing on top of before leaping for the ground. After that, it was still a little walk to Hiro's, so Sora texted him to let him know they were on their way.

"So...you nervous?" Sora asked timidly as he texted Hiro.

"No, why?" Riku quirked an eyebrow.

"I dunno. I guess I shouldn't be. But what if they DO find something?"

Riku smiled and gave the nervous teen a playful nudge with his elbow. "Then we just have to be more careful. I'm not going to stop loving you over something like this. And I know you feel the same way. So we'll just cross any bridges when we come to them. Just like we always have."

Sora smiled and returned the playful nudge. "Right. Dink~"

"Dink~"

. . .

The two Baymaxes didn't find anything on Sora and Riku. The two were so relieved that they took Hiro and his aunt to the best Asian fusion restaurant of their choice. They spent a couple of hours catching up. Hiro told them all about how things are going at school and they shared their own stories, telling him all about blitzball, a sport that fascinated him, apparently a rarity according to his aunt. Inevitably the conversation turned back to why Sora and Riku were there in the first place.

"So does doctor-patient confidentiality not exist where you come from?" Hiro asked, a note of disapproval in his voice. His aunt also looked concerned for the two.

"Where we come from," Riku explained, "The islands are very small. Everybody knows everything. You can't even sneeze in an empty room without somebody saying bless you."

"And the school rules are somewhat strict. Nobody's allowed to date because it distracts from studying. I think it's also to avoid potential drama that may be harmful or distracting for other students," Sora added.

"We know for a fact that other students go on dates and manage to not get caught, but PDA is definitely not allowed. Plus a relationship like ours is not very common on the islands and we stir up enough attention as it is," Riku sighed.

"I think by now the STUDENTS know for sure we're dating, but I feel like it's the adults we gotta look out for," Sora nodded. "But we've been close friends for so long, I think we sort of fly under the radar for them," the brunette explained.

"That sounds rough," Hiro sympathized. "And your other injuries from before...you can't tell anybody about those either, right?"

"That's right," Sora nodded. "You and Baymax have been so helpful for us. We can't thank you enough."

"Hey, that's what friends are for! Plus, you helped us, too! And I know if I ever need anything, you got my back!" the teen grinned.

"Right!" Sora grinned happily.

"Plus, it's kinda cool I get to help you guys out. It's what my brother would've wanted. He'd be thrilled knowing Baymax helped people like you, people who make a difference out there in the world. It's like a gift that keeps on giving," Hiro gave a little cheesy smile, a little embarrassed at his own words. His aunt however, looked like she couldn't be prouder.

After they stuffed themselves silly and talked for a little longer, Sora was a little sad that they had to go, but they promised Hiro they'd keep in touch and visit soon. Both teens thanked him again before finding a secluded place to take off from and making their way to Radiant Garden. When they arrived, they were surprised to find the lab empty except for Even.

"Is Ienzo not here?" Sora asked cautiously.

"Ah, Master Sora! Master Riku!" Even greeted. "We've been expecting you. Ienzo will be back in a moment. He'll be looking after Riku. Master Sora, you're with me."

"Uh, okay," Sora blinked.

"Master Riku, would you be so kind as to wait in the other room for Ienzo?" Even asked.

"Sure," Riku nodded, giving Sora's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll won't be far if you need me," he assured him quietly.

Sora smiled softly and nodded back. "Right. See you in a bit."

Riku left and Even waved for Sora to follow him to one of the other attached rooms that Sora hadn't seen before. It was much bigger and had several large computer screens everywhere and large glass vessels with clear liquid bubbling inside them lining the walls. In the center was what looked like a simple examination table next to a desk with a laptop.

"If you'd be so kind, I'll need you to disrobe," Even asked.

. . .

Even though there was something about Even's overall personality that made Sora feel a little unsettled, the examination was surprisingly smooth-going. Even was fast, but thorough and patient. Thankfully there were no lasers involved, no fancy machines, and minimal pictures were taken. Any observational data he needed, he typed into his laptop as he asked Sora questions. He even kept the touching to a minimum, asked for permission before he did anything, and seemed to know exactly what actually deserved his attention with just a glance. When all was said and done, he appeared pleased with Sora's progress, only asking for one blood sample to analyze for any possible darkness impurities that might still be in his system, to which Sora agreed since everything else had gone so well.

"Have you felt any other adverse effects from your previous injuries?" Even asked as he finished taking blood.

"Well, when I fought with Bob--I mean, the Master of Masters, I got hit twice with these strange attacks that kept me from performing my summoning magic and my attraction magic. Since then, I can summon, but it's difficult and I'm still not able to perform attraction magic," Sora answered quietly. It's something that's bothered him for a while. But to be fair, he hadn't actually taken the time to try and practice, either, afraid of the result.

"When's the last time you tried to perform it?" Even asked patiently, though from the way he asked it, Sora had a feeling Even knew the answer.

"It's been a few months," Sora answered honestly. "Do you think I just need to practice?"

"Magic can be seen as something that's channeled through your body. Casting it is the skill that allows you to channel it how you want. From what you described, it sounds like he merely impeded the channels in your body that would have allowed you to cast this particular magic, like damming a river. If you're able to perform one and not the other, my hypothesis is that you simply need to keep trying and eventually you'll chip away at that dam. Give it time and practice and if you're still unsuccessful, other measures might need to be taken," Even deduced.

"I guess that makes sense," Sora nodded. "Thanks, that actually makes me feel a little better. I'll give it a shot."

"Please keep me informed if you make progress," the scientist added as he typed more notes.

"Mm-hmm," Sora hummed, now a little distracted as he thought of something else he wanted to ask Even but wondered if he should.

Even looked up from his laptop. "Is there anything else?"

"Well, it's not about me. But I've been wondering. About the replicas."

Even raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"Do they...do they grow older?" Sora asked as he started putting his clothes back on.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I guess...well, I don't know if you've seen Ven recently, but he's gotten taller and kinda ripped. Roxas has a replica body and I can't help but wonder if he could grow taller? Would he get taller than me? You know, I'm just curious because Naminé and Xion ALSO have replica bodies. It'd be weird if they stayed the same forever, right?"

"I see. Well, to put it simply, to achieve the most realism, the bodes are organic. Thus, just like any other organism or thing found in nature, they will decay. As for growth, well let's just say I've spent a lot of time and energy ensuring that the replicas can in fact grow and age just like any other human." He goes on to explain about the Riku replica, how it was a prototype whose body would not have lasted very long even when it managed to develop a heart and mind of its own, as its body was not capable of being stable for that long. It was the perfect subject to test for what eventually became Xion. As Xion got stronger, it was imperative that her body be able to grow and adapt to her growing strength, otherwise it too would have broken down with the power she gained. Thus, she paved the way for the current replicas that can now grow and live on as normal humans and for as long as a typical human life span, maybe even a little longer if the body is maintained correctly.

"So are you still working on replicas?" Sora asked.

Even hesitates, pausing his typing briefly before looking up at Sora. "Yes," he answered cautiously. "I suppose I might as well tell you. The reason the replica program was even started was because we had found evidence that suggests there are hearts of people trapped in the datascape."

"There are!?" Sora gasped. "When? How long have they been there?"

Even shook his head. "It was before the incident with Xehanort happened. Any attempts we made to help them get out ended in failure. Without bodies to sustain them, their hearts either faded or they fell to darkness and became heartless. So we knew we had to come up with something, a vessel for their hearts to go in before we could attempt rescuing any more of them. But when Xehanort took over...well, you know the rest. Now that I'm completed again, I've remembered my original purpose, the reason behind my research and I intend to continue what I have started."

"Wow," Sora looked at the scientist in awe, now seeing him in a completely different light. "I hope you're successful."

"As do I," Even smiled. "In the meantime, what are YOUR future plans, Master Sora?"

"Mine?" the brunette blinked. "Well, I guess after I graduate, it's back to doing whatever keyblade masters are supposed to do."

"Is that all? Do you have any other aspirations? Maybe something with Master Riku? Perhaps starting your own family?"

Sora blushed and twiddled his thumbs nervously. Should he even be talking to Even about this? Why was the scientist interested in HIS plans? "I dunno, I mean, I would LIKE to. It'd be a long ways off. After all, we're still only dating and we're still working on building our house. But sometimes...sometimes I do think about what it'd be like to have a family with him." He chuckled as a faint blush rose to his cheeks. "Riku told me that his mom was talking about grandchildren the other day. And I know it's impossible and silly, but I actually started thinking about what a baby between me and Riku would look like. Pretty weird, huh?"

Even shook his head. "I don't think that's weird at all. It's only natural that you'd imagine having a child with your potential future partner."

"Thanks," Sora smiled gratefully. "Wait, why are you asking me this anyway?"

"To be frank, I'm fascinated by the keyblade wielding lifestyle. Not to be morbid, but there's been plenty of evidence that shows keyblade wielders who choose to remain active do not live very long lives."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Sora's eyes widened.

"I think you only need to look at yourself for the answer to that question," Even pointed out. "You might not have noticed, but the only keyblade wielders who have lived to old age are the ones who have set down their keyblades in favor of teaching the next generation instead, such as Master Yen Sid, Master Eraqus, and even Master Xehanort himself. The rest of you, I dare say, could even be considered anomalies. From what we have learned from keyblade wars past, most of the participating combatants were very young; fourteen possibly being the oldest."

Sora swallowed hard. He thought back to the boy he saw in the keyblade graveyard, the one who lent a hand when he took down the demon tide. He DID look very young. "That's...that's scary to think about."

"But it would make sense, wouldn't it? Young hearts untainted by darkness, full of light that would enable them to wield keyblades. But also inexperienced enough to be susceptible to the very thing they sought to destroy," Even shook his head in a tut-tut motion.

"Well...anyway..." Sora was now desperate to return to the other topic of discussion. "I guess Riku and I could dedicate ourselves to teaching others and take on students and raise them like Master Eraqus did with Terra, Aqua, and Ven. But I dunno, I don't see myself as a teacher, honestly. But I would love to adopt," he added brightly.

"Is adoption a viable option where you live?" Even asked.

"Well..." Sora appeared crestfallen. "It...might be difficult. There aren't a lot of orphans where I live, now that I think about it. Who even knows if Riku and I would be considered viable parents. I would hope nobody would bat an eye at us raising children together, but then again I don't know. I'm just now being exposed to prejudice because of my relationship with Riku. Granted, it hasn't been A LOT, but I don't have any other examples to pull from, either." He let out a long sigh. "Maybe we could just adopt animals or something, I dunno."

"Well, I hope one day your wishes come to fruition," Even gave the smallest smile that it was almost hard for Sora to even see it before he finally closed his laptop. "Thank you for stopping by today. Your data has been completely updated. Again, let us know if you notice any other ill effects or if there are any changes to your status."

"Sure," Sora nodded and hopped off the table. "I'll see you around, then." He thanked Even and ran off to find Riku who just now finished with his own exam with Ienzo. "All good?"

"Yup. You?" Riku smiled.

"All good!" Sora gave a thumbs up.

"Great, let's get out of here so we can get home before it gets dark. Mom's already texting me about dinner."

"You got it!"

Once they arrived back at Destiny Islands, Sora told Riku all about his conversation with Even about the keyblade wielders supposedly trapped in the datascape and how young the keyblade wielders in the previous wars had been before they perished. "Do you really think that's why there aren't a lot of keyblade wielders left now? Because they were so young that they were susceptible to darkness?" Sora asked solemnly with his hands stuffed in his pockets, kicking a stone as they walked together.

"There has to be more to it than that," Riku pondered suspiciously with an index finger over his chin as he walked alongside him. "But the only ones who would know are all gone now. Bob is gone and so is Xigbar."

"Wait, not everyone," Sora stopped.

Riku's eyes widened, "Ventus!"

"And not just him...Vanitas."


	64. Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a cat.

The kitchen needed a lot of work and was a priority for Sora, so Riku was focusing his efforts on that next. But then Sora kept coming up with new ideas, so Riku told him he could plan it himself and he'd work on the exterior for a while.

While painting a recycled set of shutters red, a black and white cat ran across the ones Riku had just painted!

"WAIT, COME BACK!" Riku shouted as he made chase after the bespattered cat, the fuzzy creature leaving red pawprints all over the deck as it made a run for it! Riku knew he had to catch it! He was pretty sure the paint would be toxic to the cat if it tried to lick it off of itself. However, the freaked out feline was pretty quick so Riku was forced to air-step after it, quickly snatching it up in his arms where it hissed and flailed while he took it into the treehouse.

He did his best to clean up the angry feline and took a few scratches to boot. But even after he was done, the cat was still a little stained. "Heh, what's black and white and red all over?" he snickered. "I should send a picture of you to Roxas." The cat suddenly calmed and meowed loudly. "Roxas?" Riku blinked. "Do you like that name? I'm sorry, but it's already taken." The cat meowed again and began purring in his lap. "Fine, Roxas it is." His face broke into a wide grin. "You're right, it's perfect."

Concerned for the skinny cat's health, Riku took the rest of the day off to take the cat to the vet. After a few rounds of vaccinations and a quick fixing, he was released back into Riku's care. "Well I'm glad you're healthy," he told the cat as soon as they got back from the grocery store, arms full of bags filled with new things for the cat to eat, "But I can't take you home. So if you continue to stick around here, no more walking in the wet paint!"

The cat merely meowed and pawed at Riku's leg while he begged for the food he knew was in the bag. "Alright, we have a deal," Riku laughed.

Roxas the Cat came and went as he pleased. In fact, Riku rarely actually SAW the cat. So all he really could do was put food and water in his favorite spot every day. If the cat didn't want to stay, he wasn't going to force it. In fact, the cat came so infrequently that he completely forgot to tell Sora about him.

So when Sora worked in the kitchen with a box of donuts on the counter, only for a few of them to be snatched by a seemingly rogue black and white feline, he was completely taken by surprise!

He followed after it, hollering as he ran! "COME BACK, CAT! I DON'T THINK CATS CAN HAVE DONUTS! IT'LL GO STRAIGHT TO YOUR HIPS!"

When Sora caught up to the cat, he noticed it had a very striking black stripe that wrapped all around its belly, like an inner tube toy...or a donut. "I'm calling you Donut!" he laughed.

From then on, both teens talked about the cats they have encountered, somehow neither one of them figuring out that they were talking about the same cat.

Even when they eventually figured it out, they debated on which name was better.

"You can't call him Roxas!" Sora flailed. "That'd be so confusing!"

"Well you can't call him Donut! I think it offends him!" Riku protested.

"He doesn't seem offended to me!" Sora argued.

Donut/Roxas looked up from the floor where it was grooming something that was no longer there thanks to the vet with a blep.

"Well anyway, I found him first. He's Roxas," Riku crossed his arms. "End of discussion."

"Fine, YOU can call him Roxas. But to me, he's Donut!" Sora crossed his arms too.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Mrow," the cat rolled onto its back to beg for pets.


	65. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The main tree house gets finished! It's a house-raising party!

The project was getting too big for Sora and Riku to handle safely on their own anymore. They did the best they could, but there were still a lot of things that needed to be done and QUICKLY. Wiring still needed to be installed. Plumbing was getting a little complicated. Barrier spells still needed to be cast. It was a lovely...mess.

Half-finished projects were everywhere. What WAS finished was amazing. What wasn't finished was threatened by the upcoming raining season. Plus with finals and a blitzball tournament coming up, there were fewer hours in the day to get it done. So at long last, Riku made a call to arms, or rather he gave the okay and SORA made a lot of calls, and the house-raising party was a go.

At the crack of dawn, a whole army of their friends and family had arrived via truck, air, and warp sphere to lend their hands to the cause. Needless to say, their families were blown away by all the colorful characters that Sora, Riku, and Kairi were proud to call friends. Kairi's dad was beside himself with excitement and as mayor felt the need to introduce himself to everybody and welcome them to their islands properly. Their friends from the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee had come along with Master Yen Sid as did the Wayfinder Trio and the Twilight Town gang sans Vanitas. 

The moms immediately went to work creating an outdoor kitchen setup to start preparing a massive meal for everyone using a giant griddle that they brought from Riku's house set over a bonfire. Kairi volunteered to be on shopping duty. Anytime anybody needed anything, it was her job to order it from the moogle hologram using the giant sack of munny that Sora gave her. Before she knew it, she was ordering everything from extra eggs to lumber via moogle and Isa and Axel were helping lift it to wherever it needed to go. Naminé also worked as an in-between for Kairi while also making sure everybody had enough water as the sun began rising and bearing down with its heat.

Master Aqua, Master Yen Sid, and Merlin worked with Sora and Riku to show them how to set up the barriers they were putting up. They explained that while it should keep most nosey people at bay and hide them from view, many of the spells they were putting up were experimental and might need maintenance, as in they might need to be recast every year, if not every few months.

"I sense a lot of magical interference on these islands," Master Yen Sid observed. "It may also affect the strength of these spells."

"I wonder if it's because there's a door to darkness on the play island," Sora asked out loud.

"Perhaps that may be the case," the old wizard nodded. "But regardless, these should suit your needs for now."

By the time they were done, it was ensured that no strangers would accidently be able to wander into the perimeter of their new home and any coming in from the sea would not see a beach but rather a a dangerous and foggy cliff face with jagged rocks that should be avoided at all costs. Any guests that would be considered unwelcome that tried to enter would get turned around as soon as they touched the barriers.

Meanwhile, it was a building frenzy back at the treehouse. Cid was leading the wiring team and setting up the gummi blocks that would actually power the house while having another team install solar panels on the roof as soon as the roofing team had finished. "The gummi blocks should be more than enough to power this place for the next hundred years," Cid grinned. "But with the solar panels, nobody would think twice about it."

"So the solar panels are a fake out?" Riku also grinned. "I like that. The inspector should buy it."

Cid grinned toothily as he thumbed his nose. "You're welcome."

It was organized chaos as everybody was split into different teams and followed Riku's designs to the letter. As soon as the walls were put up, another team swooped in to help with the wiring while another did the roof, and then another would swoop in to put up the drywall, and then the last team came in to paint, move furniture, and then clean up. It was getting dizzying for Sora to even keep track of who was on what team, but Riku had a handle on it, passing out extra copies of his plans to anybody who needed them and giving direction when needed. Plus, the wizards were there to offer magical assistance when asked as well so that also made things easier...usually. Merlin wasn't always spot on with his spells.

Soon it was late afternoon and things were starting to wind down, so Sora hurried to help the moms with the last of the food prep. Together, they made a feast of burgers and fries with other local dishes with enough choices to feed an army, which was exactly what they needed! Unbeknownst to the teens, the dads had brought many an alcoholic beverage to celebrate the occasion. So the adults were all having a blast celebrating and swapping stories over the meal provided for them. After his dad slipped him a beer, Riku was actually brave enough to stand and give a thank you speech, which Roxas was more than happy to tease him about for being so cheesy later.

At long last, their home was FINISHED...for the most part. They had walls, they had power and wiring, they had plumbing, and all the heavy stuff was put into place. Sora had to fight tooth and nail with Aqua to let him make acrylic countertops with the pretty synthesis items he had collected over the years. There were still things they wanted to add like furniture and curtains and such. But for now, it was move-in ready! It even had a spot set up for flowers and an herb garden! All the water was being fed into it from the freshwater waterfall from the cliffs and the toilets were composting toilets. They had their own self-sufficient dream house in a tree!

As the teens stood back, tired, sweaty, and filthy, they couldn't help being emotional as they took in the sight of their mostly-finished home. Sora was beside himself with excitement, Riku looked so relieved but also just as excited! When it finally sunk in that this is it, this is their home, they just looked at each other and embraced tightly, murmuring I love you's and other excited noncoherent babblings while their friends and family looked on happily.

After that, they partied well into the evening before everybody started going home. One by one, Sora and Riku said their good-byes and thank yous until they were the only ones left. They had already told their parents that they planned on staying the night with the promise they'd be back home after school tomorrow. For tonight, they wanted to enjoy their new future home together.


	66. Journal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Soriku week! #sorikuweek2020
> 
> There's a prompt list and everything. Today's prompt is time capsule. Journals are KIND of like time capsules, so here we are. :)
> 
> I have more chapters planned that coincidently coincide with the prompts, but in the wrong order so just be forewarned. XD If you see the prompts on twitter, you might get hints of what the upcoming chapters will contain. Hehe. <3

Sora thumbed through the pages of the journal Kairi had given him for his birthday. He left the first page blank. Somehow marking the first page felt like too much pressure. But after that, he's filled out quite a few pages already. Things have been so busy, it's been nice having a way to organize his thoughts before bed. Plus it was also like having a quiet friend he could divulge his intimate secrets to without being judged. He just hoped nobody would ever read it. There's already stuff in here he's not even sure he would freely tell Riku, at least not on a whim. "Who am I kidding, he doesn't need to read my journal to read me like a book," he snickered to himself as he turned to a blank page to begin writing.

_Dear Journal,_

_It's been another busy day. I scored a goal during blitzball practice today and I even managed to get all my homework done for the next three days. Riku and I have been spending more and more time at our house. It still feels so weird to say that. Our house. I'm excited but I'm also sad about it sometimes. I love my family, but I love being in that house with Riku even more. Riku once said he didn't want it to feel like a club house. It's supposed to be our home. I can't wait for it to actually be home. Every time I'm there, it feels like going to a whole new world but it's just me and Riku doing whatever we want. But then every evening it's like we have to leave and it was all just a dream. Riku doesn't have much longer until he can live there, but I promised I'd wait until after I was done with school. So Riku will be there all alone and I'll have to wait another year. It doesn't seem fair. I know WHY, but that doesn't mean I have to like it._

He paused and rubbed the tiredness from his eyes, a soreness in his lower back bringing a goofy smile to his face before he leaned down to write again.

_We made love again today. I feel like it's getting better and better every time. It's addicting. I didn't know I could love Riku any more than I do, but every day I'm proven wrong. I also know it's kind of cheesy to call it love-making, but that's what it feels like! Sure, we've had a quickie or two, but with Riku, every time feels special. He makes me feel so safe and loved and oh, when he goes crazy, I love that too. Sometimes he seems a little frustrated. Probably because he heard my thoughts again. I really need to get a handle on that. It's not fair to tease him, is it? ;) But oh when he's frustrated, I like that too. It's like he's an animal that wants to eat me alive...and I like it. I like it very much. Like the thing he did with the popsicle today._

He paused his pen again and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Dare he write about the popsicles? He felt a blush rise to his cheeks and a stirring in his pajama bottoms before he forcefully shook his head. "Nope nope," he told himself. He wanted to be able to sleep at a decent hour tonight after all.

_I like everything Riku does. I hope he knows it. I'd like to show him how much I like it someday...how much I appreciate everything he does. I really want to show him. I know he'd let me, but I don't know if I'm ready yet._

_What Even told me is still bothering me. I really need to talk to Ven, but I don't know if it's safe? Ever since we took down Bob, Ven hasn't said anything else about his memories or the foretellers or anything else from his past. Does he just not want to talk about it? Should I bring it up? Is it even safe to do so if Darkness is inside of him? Can Darkness hear what we're talking about? Maybe he doesn't even remember anymore. I wonder if Chirithy knows? Then again, there's always Vanitas. Part of me is also wondering if I should talk to Master Yen Sid about all of this. But part of me is also saying that now's not the right time. Who should I talk to first? Ven or Vanitas?_

_There's something else, too. I feel like I'm forgetting something. Something important. Ever since I had that dream with Yozora, I feel like I've forgotten something and yet I don't think it's related to Yozora at all. I wish I knew what it was. It's making me feel anxious._

Riku himself had just finished taking a cold shower. The cool water eased some of the soreness in his muscles...as well as ease other things. As he patted his hair dry with the towel around his shoulders, he sat down at his desk with the journal he had been keeping for the past year and a half. Just as he sat down, a memory from this afternoon flashed before his eyes, a memory that drove him to take a cold shower to begin with. With an audible groan, he grabbed his pen and began writing.

_WHY DID I DO THAT WITH THE POPSICLE!?_

He wrote it in all capitals as if to yell at himself, the blush returning to stain his cheeks as his hand shook.

_He probably thinks I'm some kind of pervert now. But then again, he seemed to enjoy it._

He swallowed hard as he remembered the look on Sora's face as they shared a popsicle together. When there was a little bit left on the stick, he had pinned Sora down and fed it to him; told him to suck on it. Sora did so obediently, his face flushed as he sucked suggestively on the popsicle until there was nothing left. Riku could remember the juices leaking from his mouth as he ate the rest of it in the awkward position his was in and remembered how sweet it tasted when he licked it off of him. After that...well...

He pressed his palms into his tired eyes as he tried to stop his mind from going any further. He already took a cold shower. He didn't want to take another one! With a sigh, he grabbed his reading glasses and continued writing.

_Our one year anniversary is coming up. I wonder if he remembers? I don't blame him if he doesn't. After all, he confessed to me in a dream. His concept of time wasn't that great for a while. I still don't think it is. He keeps forgetting his own birthdays. I keep writing it off as him being oblivious but somehow...I don't think that's the case. I really wonder if he genuinely has trouble grasping dates or maybe he just doesn't WANT to remember. He doesn't seem to have trouble remember anybody else's birthday or any other events. It's strange. But anyway, should I drop a hint that it's coming up? Or maybe I'm in the wrong for dwelling on it? Well, it's a special day to me, and I'm sure it's special to him too, even if he doesn't remember the exact date. I'll remember for both of us._

_Maybe I should take him somewhere. Back to the Caribbean, maybe? We had so much fun the last time we were there. Then again, we already did a lot of sailing during our vacation so maybe not? I'll have to think about it some more._

He sighed and twirled his pen in his hand for a few moments before writing again, his brow furrowing as he felt himself grow serious.

_Something's bothering Sora. He told me that Even told him there's evidence of Keyblade Wielders trapped in the datascape. How long have they been in there, I wonder? Ventus and/or Vanitas might hold a clue, but part of me is wondering if we even should open that can of worms. Maybe one day...but not soon. I feel bad, I really do. But part of me is also thinking they've waited this long, they can wait a little longer. I know that's selfish of me, but there are already so many things going on right now. Even though we've defeated Bob, I keep getting this feeling that something else is about to rear its ugly head. I don't think we're in any position to be rescuing anybody when we've barely recovered from our past ordeal. Then again, maybe they might have some answers. I'd be really interested in meeting them, that's for sure._

_Then again again, maybe this has nothing to do with us. Maybe this is something best left to Ansem the Wise and the others. We still have this whole thing with Vanitas and this mysterious Darkness to figure out. Why did all of this have to happen before the blitzball tournament and finals? Why couldn't it have waited until summer?_

He threw down his pen and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses before stealing a glance at the clock. It was getting late. "That should be enough for today," he decided. He closed up his journal and stuck it back in the desk before taking off his glasses and turning off the light. He walked over to the bed and collapsed into it rather unceremoniously before rolling over to grab his phone off the night stand.

Riku: Good night  
Sora: G'night! <3 Dink~  
Riku: Dink. :)


	67. Another Side, Another Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the prompt "A false memory" is supposed to be tomorrow and I kinda cheated cuz it's not a false soriku memory, but it's still relevant, I promise. Besides, I had this chapter planned already and the prompt coincidently met the theme so I'm rolling with it! :)
> 
> Sora and Riku split to talk to Vanitas and Ventus separately.

Things may have gotten a little out of control.

Once they got a taste, Sora and Riku couldn't get enough of each other. If things were intense between them before, it was nothing compared to how they were now. Now that the house didn't need immediate attention anymore, the only things standing in their way were homework and blitzball practice. By now they had even worked out a routine based entirely on their libido. Whenever there was a day Sora was too sore, they spent that day working ahead on their homework, as far as three days in advance, just so they would have time to "hang out" after practice without those pesky studies getting in the way. Riku had never seen Sora study so hard and so diligently before, but he wasn't about to complain. 

But on the days when there was no homework AND no blitzball practice...that's when things really got intense. Those days were filled with anticipation. Both would watch the clock as they tried their best not to think about what was in store later that afternoon...and usually Sora failed, thus making Riku fail because of their connection. But whereas Riku had a pretty good handle on himself (no pun intended), Sora did not. Thus, the brunette would practically be RAVENOUS by the time they made it to the treehouse, like today.

Sora was on Riku the minute they entered the threshold of their future home, right in the main living area where they usually do their studying. In an effort to regain some control, Riku had backed Sora into the wall, but that seemed to only spur Sora on, who deepened their kiss as he pawed at Riku's chest, moaning and mewling as he begged for the other to pick up the pace.

Riku's fingers gently raked down Sora's back, earning another high-pitched keening noise from the brunette whose head he had to cup with his other hand to keep him from throwing his head back against the wall. Though he was amused, he decided to comply to Sora's wishes, his hand reaching down to cup him between the legs where he was amazed (but not entirely surprised) to find him standing at full attention. "So hard already. How long have you been like this?"

"I can't help it," Sora mewled as he bucked into Riku's warm hand. "Whenever I think of you I think of how badly I want you. How do you stand it?"

"Easy. I'm always thinking of you," Riku grinned.

"That's not fair!" the brunette whined before kissing Riku again. "So sweet..." he whimpered breathlessly. "I can't top that."

"Don't worry, you'll top me some day," Riku assured him, his voice heavy and thick with growing lust.

"Huh?" Sora blinked and pulled away to look up at him. "Really?" he whispered.

"Yeah, why not?" the elder teen's smile softened.

"I...I just assumed..." Sora blushed.

"Only if you want to, of course," Riku quickly added, moving his hand up to gently stroke Sora's jawline with his thumb. A blush was quickly growing on his own face but he didn't turn his eyes away from Sora's. He wanted him to know he was being 100% serious. "Just know I'd be happy to share that experience with you...should you ever want it."

Sora swallowed hard and nodded, his mouth forming the words "I love you" but he couldn't get the noise out, so he kissed Riku hard instead, wrapping all his limbs around the other's strong body, knowing he could support him as he demanded what he knew Riku had to give.

Riku took the hint and carried him to the bedroom, never once breaking their kiss until he had Sora beneath him on the bed.

The problem with making love like rabbits is that eventually things run in short supply. Today was that day. After their passionate tussle, Riku informed Sora that they had used the last condom in the box.

"Huh!?" Sora sat up and checked the empty box again even after Riku held it upside down to show him. He shook his head in disbelief. "No way we have used that many already! There were 30 in here!"

Riku chuckled, "Yes, there WERE. Now there are none."

"Well, you're buying the next round!" Sora huffed as he turned to get out of bed and grab his clothes.

"Wait, why me!?"

"Because I got the first round. It's only fair," Sora shrugged.

"Well how do you expect ME to get any? It's not like I can just go to the store. Somebody will see!" Riku pointed out.

Sora turned to see Riku's face getting red. "Riku...are you embarrassed about shopping for condoms?" he grinned.

"N-no!" Riku scoffed, turning on the other side of the bed to grab his own clothes so he could avoid looking at the smirking teen. "I just don't want anybody at school finding out."

"Well we can either order some like we ordered the shirts or we can go to Twilight Town," Sora said simply.

Riku pulled his undershirt down over his head. It was just like the ones Sora had taken to wearing under his school uniform. He was interested in them before when Sora first showed him but now he's taken to wear them mostly to hide the marks left on his neck by Sora's more aggressive kisses when the cure spells can't seem to get rid of them. "I guess Twilight Town would be faster," he conceded, knowing there's no way Sora would be able to wait a whole week for condoms to arrive. Sure they could try doing things without condoms, but using them was much more convenient than not.

"Sounds like a plan!" Sora chirped enthusiastically. "This way we can go together. And besides, I need to talk to Vanitas anyway," he added as he pulled on his socks.

Riku tugged on his pants, "You're not going to ask him about..."

"I need to," Sora answered quietly. "It's going to keep bothering me if I don't."

The older teen sighed but didn't argue. "I guess if you really need to, that's fine. But I have a feeling he won't be cooperative if I'm around. So you just want me to chill out in town or what?"

"Actually," the brunette looked to him hesitantly. "I was wondering if you could talk to Chirithy while I talked to Vanitas?"

"Chirithy!? You mean Ven's little...friend? Pet? Thing? Why? Talk to him about what?"

Sora flopped his upper body back on the bed and stared up at the open canopy towards the skylight above their bed. "I have a feeling we can't talk to Ven about the past, at least not directly. What if Darkness hears whatever we say to him? Chirithy might be tight-lipped too, but you two have something in common."

Riku raised an eyebrow, "And that is?"

"You're both dream eaters!" he answered cheerfully. "Or at least I think he is. I've seen the dream eater symbol on his back. Maybe you two can find some common ground."

"Even if I get him talking, what do I ask him about?" the elder teen crossed his arms, not fully convinced that this was an idea worth pursuing.

"I'll leave that up to you to decide. I have a feeling you'll know what to ask. Any information at all is better than nothing. We just gotta be careful."

"Alright..." Riku agreed cautiously. "But are you going to be as careful when questioning Vanitas?"

"Probably not!" Sora gave a cheesy grin. "But again, I have a feeling about this. This is something we need to do."

The silverette sighed as he finished dressing. "Well, if this is what your heart says to do, then let's do it. AFTER we shop. You're not leaving me to do that alone."

Sora laughed and got up. "Deal!"

. . .

In Twilight Town, Roxas and Vanitas were taking a break from their part-time jobs to mess around on their skateboards while they sipped on a couple of drinks from the vending machine. The two have taken to bringing their boards to work to make deliveries go faster. Currently, Roxas was trying to show Vanitas this one trick that required grinding on one of the benches but he got scolded for doing so by an adult passing by, which only served to amuse Vanitas.

"Wise guy," Roxas huffed as Vanitas continued to cackle at him.

"Your fault for getting caught," the raven-haired teen said simply as he finished off his drink. "Doesn't look like it would've been that impressive anyway."

"Well now you'll never know, because now I don't feel like showing you anymore," Roxas huffed and kicked at his board, which rolled away into a group of passerby. "Shoot!"

A tall person with messy black hair and long black ears stopped the board with one foot and slid it back to Roxas, who kicked it up and grabbed it gratefully. "Sorry about that!" the blonde apologized. "Wait...don't I know you from somewhere?" He studied the other's features carefully. He looked like a younger version of... "You related to Captain Goofy?"

The young adult grinned and offered his gloved hand to shake, "Captain Goofy's my dad. My name's Max. It's nice to meet you..."

"Roxas and he's Vanitas!" the teen accepted the hand and shook it back. "It's nice to meet you! I didn't know Goofy even had a kid!"

"Haha," Max chuckled nervously as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, don't ask about me if you don't want to hear him go on and on about me for the next four hours. He's a very VERY proud parent." He looked embarrassed but he had a twinkle of soft affection in his eyes. "So how do you know my dad?"

"He traveled with a friend of ours for a long time. So I guess you could say he's a mutual friend," Roxas explained.

"Ah, I see. You two still in high school?"

"One of us is," Vanitas grumbled to himself.

"Yeah!" Roxas answered. "Are you attending the university?"

"I just transferred here to finish my doctorate, so I only have one more year. How's the skating scene around here?" he asked, eyeing the skateboard again.

"It's alright. A lot of the places we used to skate have been renovated, so we can't go there anymore. So really the only place we can really practice any tricks is in the sewers," Roxas made a face.

"Sounds delightful," Max Goof laughed. "Mind if I give your board a try? I hadn't ridden one in a while."

"Sure, go ahead!" Roxas set it on the ground and rolled it over with his toe.

Max caught it with his own toe. "Thanks, now let's see if I still remember how to do this."

With one quick glance around to make sure nobody would be around to scold him, Max took off on the board to use the bench that Roxas was attempting to flip off before. Within seconds, he was performing tricks that even had Vanitas impressed, flying off the back of the bench to the opposite wall and even the wall next to that one with a series of spins and flip kicks that Roxas had never dreamed of attempting before. Before he knew it, the show was over and Max was back in front of him offering his board back with nobody else catching wise.

Roxas's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Whoa! That was amazing! You gotta show me how to do that sometime!"

"Sure, if I see you guys around! Hopefully not in the sewers," Max laughed.

"Yeah, hopefully not," Roxas also laughed. "Next time I see you, I'll try have a new spot scoped out."

"Sounds like a plan," the young man chuckled before slapping hands with Roxas. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you. Nice meeting you two." He gave a little two fingered wave good-bye before heading back on his way.

. . .

Sora and Riku had arrived in Twilight Town and made a beeline for the drugstore, only to be stumped as soon as they got to the prophylactic section. Sora was quick to grab a new bottle of lube to put in their basket, but as far as condoms go, the selection was making them question everything they thought they knew!

"Female condoms?" Sora asked in a loud whisper. "How does that even--?"

"I-I think it goes inside?" Riku blinked, but he was just as stumped as Sora. He definitely doesn't remember them covering female condoms in health class. Maybe they're not used very often?

Sora then found something called dental dams. Curious, he read the back of the box briefly before tossing them too into the basket.

"Do you even know what those are?" Riku hissed.

"Well I do now," Sora snickered. "And I want them."

Riku grit his teeth as he felt the blush spreading over the bridge of his nose. "Let's just focus on what we came here for and get out of here, yes?"

Sora snickered quietly. "Fine, fine. Did you want to try a different brand or go with what we have been using? There are so many choices!"

"I can see that! But what I don't see is that brand," he growled quietly in frustration because of course he couldn't find it. Picking out a brand they were already familiar with and leaving would've been too easy.

"Well how hard could it be to pick one?" Sora asked as he browsed the different boxes. There were so many different kinds. Some were ribbed, some were thin, some were made of different materials, some had different kinds of lube, some were warming, some were numbing, some reacted with a special brand of lube, some were just big! The longer Sora looked, the more he began to lose his nerve. "Feeling adventurous?"

"Not really," Riku admitted.

"So then how about we get the blandest-looking ones and variety pack? That way we can just try them out as we go along and remember them for the next time we come back?" he suggested.

"Fine by me," the silverette shrugged as he picked a box that looked pretty standard that was by the same brand as the lube they had been using and Sora picked one of the variety packs.

After that, they filled the basket with some snacks and a couple of drinks to make their purchases less conspicuous to other shoppers as they headed to the counter together. As the cashier scanned their items, Sora nearly had a heart attack when the cashier asked for an ID, but thankfully Riku remembered to bring his. But even then Sora panicked quietly because it was a Destiny Islands ID but thankfully the cashier paid no attention to the location and focused simply on the age written on the card before returning it. After they paid for their items, the two got of there and stuffed their purchases into their pockets.

"See, that wasn't so bad!" Sora grinned cheerfully as he twisted open the soda he bought.

"Speak for yourself," Riku grumbled as he checked the receipt. "Why are they so expensive?"

"Why do you care? I'm the one who ended up paying for them after all!" the brunette pointed out.

"Yes, thank you, and I'm very grateful," Riku rolled his eyes playfully before planting a kiss on Sora's cheek, which made the other coo appreciatively. "Still doesn't make sense, though. These things should be GIVEN away."

"Well when you find a place that DOES just give them away, let me know and we'll go there next time!" Sora chortled. "Alright! Mission accomplished. Ready for our next mission?"

"Are you sure about this?" Riku asked cautiously. "We can save it for another day."

Sora shook his head. "Nuh-uh. This is important," he insisted.

"Alright," Riku nodded and gave Sora one last kiss before activating his keyblade armor. "Text me when you're done."

"You got it," Sora squeezed his hand. "Have a safe trip."

"I'll see you soon," Riku squeezed back before taking off on his keyblade vehicle through a portal in the sky.

. . .

By sheer luck, Sora caught Vanitas and Roxas just as they were heading back to the mansion. "VANITAS!" he called after the raven-haired teen.

"Sora?" Roxas turned to see the brunette running towards them. "What are you doing here?"

Sora caught up to the two. "Hey. Sorry I didn't call but--Nevermind. Vanitas, do you have a minute? I was wondering if I could talk to you."

Vanitas eyed him suspiciously, but he could tell by the look on Sora's face that something serious must be going on. He nodded and looked to Roxas. "I'll be up to help you make dinner in a minute."

The blonde took the hint. "Alright, just don't take too long or I'm making you do the dishes," Roxas nodded and gave Sora a little wave before heading inside alone.

"So what's this about?" Vanitas asked.

"Let's go somewhere quiet to talk."

The two ended up going back towards the woods and sitting on one of the large logs to have their conversation. To be honest, Sora wasn't quite sure where to begin, but he could tell Vanitas was getting impatient so he jumped right to the chase.

"Vanitas, what do you remember about the past? Do you remember WHEN Darkness took over Ventus?" he asked.

Vanitas frowned. "Did something happen?"

"Not yet. But I have a feeling something might and I need information. Anything you can give me," Sora stared at him intently.

Vanitas sighed. "It's a long story. But you have to know...what you and Xion said before about Darkness being manipulative. You're right in more ways than you know."

"Oh?"

"Ventus's past is dark, if it isn't obvious just from looking at me," the teen let out a half-laugh. "Darkness knows this, as it is the direct cause for most of it. It also knows that if Ventus remembers any of it that he'd catch wise to his existence. He may even put an end to himself just to stop Darkness from succeeding with its plans."

Sora let out a small gasp. "You don't mean..."

"Ventus has said as much before. He asked Aqua and Terra to put an end to him if Master Xehanort ever got a hold of him to make the χ-blade. I would imagine his reaction wouldn't be much different if he remembered what Darkness had done."

"Has it...done something already?"

"There was a little girl, a girl with red hair. Darkness killed her and framed Ventus for it so Ventus would have a way to survive the keyblade war with Darkness inside him along for the ride. I have a feeling Darkness was worried about Ventus remembering. That sort of thing doesn't leave your conscience easily, even after so many countless years. So to ease his guilt, I believe Darkness made Ven believe that Xigbar killed the girl...and somehow made Xigbar believe it too when they met at the Keyblade Graveyard before our fight."

"Wait, so Xigbar was made to believe he killed somebody just in case Ven ever questioned himself?" Sora's jaw dropped. "That's horrible!"

"I wouldn't waste too much of your pity on that man," Vanitas scoffed. "It's not like he was a model citizen before that, either. He was already helping Master Xehanort before that."

"Even so...Xigbar died believing he had killed somebody..."

"Yeah? Well I guess you should be glad he felt guilt for anything at all? Assuming he did, which I doubt."

"Hmm..."

"Now I have a question for you, since we're sharing. What happened to the χ-blade?"

"Huh?" Sora blinked. "Oh, it's long gone."

"What!?" Vanitas's eyes widened. "Tell me you're joking!"

Sora felt taken aback. "N-no? Riku and I destroyed it with our combined keyblade when we took out the Master of Masters."

"Oh real smart!" Vanitas threw his arms up in exasperation before facepalming so hard that even Sora winced. "Tell me, genius, do you know what happened when the χ-blade was destroyed THE FIRST TIME?"

Sora cringed as he quietly answered the question, having a really bad feeling about where this was going. "It was...broken into thirteen pieces of darkness and seven pieces of light...right?"

"That's right! That's the whole reason Master Xehanort had that little mini war to begin with! Now think about what would happen if ANOTHER evil wanted to get their hands on the χ-blade too. What do you supposed they'd do now that it's been destroyed?"

Sora suddenly felt sick. "No...not another--"

"DING DING DING! So I hope for your sake that you're making a practical joke. Otherwise, you better round up your friends and hide your princesses again!"

Sora buried his face in his hands as his body started shaking. "No no no no no no..."

Vanitas watched him with a small degree of pity and sighed again. "Are you SURE it's gone for good?" he asked one more time. "Summon it, right now."

The brunette looked up. "But Vanitas, I--"

"Just try!" the teen snapped. "I won't believe it until I see you fail to summon it with my own eyes!"

"Okay," Sora muttered quietly, obediently hopping off the log and holding his hand out. He held his hand aloft for a long moment, afraid of what might happen if he actually summoned the cursed blade. If it doesn't appear, it's bad news. If it does...what does that mean for their future? With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and called for the χ-blade. A heavy weight appeared in his hand and he felt his heart fall into his stomach before he even opened his eyes to see the χ-blade had indeed materialized before them. "It...it can't be..."

"Lucky you," Vanitas said quietly. He had enough tact to know the blade's appearance wasn't worth celebrating, but the fact that it was here wasn't BAD news either.

"I-I don't understand. I destroyed it. I know I did!"

"Like any other keyblade, the χ-blade is linked to the heart of its wielder until otherwise handed on or destroyed," Vanitas explained as if it were obvious.

"My heart...Wait..." Sora's eyes widened. "Wait...the dream..." Could it be he still has the χ-blade because it still exists in the other timeline? A timeline where Sora is still trying to find his way home.

Vanitas quirked an eyebrow as Sora mumbled to himself but just assumed he was just babbling from being dumbstruck. 

"No no no no no no NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Sora screamed and threw the cursed keyblade as far as he could in a fit of rage, embedding the bulky thing into a nearby tree before it disappeared as it was dismissed.

"Careful, you idiot!" Vanitas scolded! Sora threw it so recklessly it could've nearly taken him out!

"You don't understand!!" Sora shouted as he ran both his hands through his hair. He told Vanitas the short version of how the timeline was split into two during the keyblade war and then how it was split again when Riku rescued him from the Master of Masters. "So there are three timelines! One where we're all dead. One where only I'M dead, mostly. And this one. If the χ-blade only exists now in this timeline because it's still around in the other timeline, then that means there's reason to believe the Master of Masters can come back, too!"

Vanitas for once looked genuinely worried. "Wait, how can you be sure?"

"When I fought him, he talked about the existence of other timelines. Taunted me with what he knew! The way he moved, it was like he already knew what I was going to do before I did it. It was like he wasn't even fighting me seriously, just going through the motions as he dodged every move I made like it was a walk in the park! What if he really can hop between the timelines? What if he's even done it before and this is all just some sick game to him!?" Sora's voice was getting higher and higher as he felt himself beginning to have a panic attack. He barely even registered when Vanitas stood up and grabbed his elbow to lead him back to the stump and force him to sit down again. "What am I going to do??"

"Just calm down for a second!" Vanitas hissed, though he was in no better position to tell anybody to calm down. His own heart was pounding as he considered the possibility of both Darkness and the Master of Masters making an appearance. "We need a plan."

"A plan? How can we possibly plan for any of this? We can't even tell Ven that he has Darkness itself inside of him! What are we supposed to do???"

"We just...need to be prepared for anything. Somehow."

. . .

Riku had arrived in the Land of Departure without incident. It took a bit of awkward small talk with Ven for him to finally explain that he was here to see Chirithy as they sat together eating snacks in the library that Ven had made himself. Macarons with tea!

"You're here to see Chirithy?" Ven asked. "Why's that?"

"Well, Sora says he thinks Chirithy's a dream eater and well..." Riku tried to go on but stumbled over his words.

Said creature suddenly appeared in Ven's lap. "You're interested in dream eaters?" Chirithy asked.

"Yeah. Uh, hi! I'm Riku. I don't think we've met yet," the keyblade master introduced himself politely.

"I know you! You're Master Riku! I saw you here with Sora a few times. It's nice to finally meet you officially. You can call me Chirithy. So uh...you had questions for me?" the cat-like creature asked, seemingly just as curious about Riku as the other was in him.

"Yes. So you see...how do I put it...Sora thought we should talk since we're both dream eaters. I guess he thought we'd get along, or something," Riku explained, hoping to make it sound like it was a casual visit and not here for an interrogation.

"Whoa whoa, wait!" Chirithy put its paws up to get Riku to slow down. "YOU'RE a dream eater?"

Riku explained how he came to be Sora's dream eater during their Mark of Mastery exam. "I imagine it's much different from the Mark of Mastery exams you're probably used to?" he asked.

"I've only seen the one conducted by Master Eraqus," Ven hummed as he recalled the whole event. "It was much simpler."

"Mark of Masteries weren't conducted very often during our time before that, either," Chirithy shrugged and shook his head.

"Who trained masters back then? Was it the Master of Masters?" Riku asked.

"Uh...sorta? He selected the foretellers. But besides them, there weren't any other masters that I know of," the caped creature answered while he grabbed a macaron from Ven's plate to munch on.

"Was that because they were all so young?" Riku asked quietly.

Chirithy stopped munching and looked up at Riku. "Perhaps..." he answered cautiously. "But anyway, what's the point in bringing up the past? It was so long ago. Things are so much different now."

"Well, learning from the past is how we can ensure that we aren't doomed to repeat it," the silverette answered simply. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Wise words. But then again, maybe the past is forgotten for a reason. Who am I to say?" Chirithy shrugged again before finishing off his macaron. "You really are a special one, aren't you, Master Riku? I could tell right away from when I first saw you."

"You could?" Riku raised an eyebrow. He could see Chirithy trying to change the subject on purpose, but for what reason, he couldn't say why...not until he glanced up from where Chirithy was seated in Ven's lap to Ven himself who was listening to his small friend intently like he too was expecting some sort of revelation as well. In fact he could see a flicker of disappointment in those blue eyes that matched Sora's way too well. Chirithy was definitely holding back. Maybe Sora was right after all. Chirithy knew SOMETHING...but maybe he was hiding it for the same reason they were hiding Vanitas. He didn't sense any malicious intent from the fuzzy creature...maybe he was just afraid to talk in front of Ven. But even then, he couldn't think of a good excuse to separate them and he doubted he could just ASK Ven to leave without offending him.

"Of course! Like you said, we have something in common!"

"Yeah, I guess we do. But are you a dream eater like I am?"

"Eh, sorta?" Chirithy shrugged yet again. "We Chirithy are spirits created by the Master of Masters himself to assist keyblade wielders in their search for lux...or light. We're with them always to advise them and even give them messages and orders from their superiors. We helped show the new guys the ropes, working as their guides, but also being their constant companions. So...you must have it pretty bad for Sora, huh?"

Riku blinked, unsure what Chirithy was getting at. "Well, yes. I love him."

"Yeah, but enough to be his dream eater? That's heavy stuff! I've certainly never seen anything like it before, and there's probably a good reason!"

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"Look, I'll be frank with you. I don't know if you and I work the same way, but if my keyblade wielder falls...I fall too. If the other falls to darkness, then so too shall I. You see what I'm getting at here?"

Riku looked from Chirithy to Ven who turned his eyes away as he gently wrapped his arms around Chirithy to hug the small creature to his chest. "Wait, that can't be. If that were the case then I would've been lost too when the Master of Masters took Sora's heart!"

"That's different, Riku," Ven said quietly. "Sora's heart was stolen and put in a box by an evil man. That's different than falling to darkness."

"But then what about..." Riku stopped as he figured out the answer for himself. When they died the first time, Riku fell to the demon tide BEFORE Sora. So that didn't make things any clearer. He shook his head. "So how did you end up in the Final World, Chirithy? That's where you first met Sora, right?"

Chirithy shook his head. "Look, it's complicated and it's not worth remembering. I'm more concerned about you!"

"Me?" Riku asked, now officially taken aback. "What about me?"

"There's a reason I'M attached to my wielder to the very end, and it's a duty I'm proud to fulfill. But you! You wandered in blindly! You do understand the stakes you potentially face, don't you?" Chirithy pointed.

"I'd do anything for Sora. Even if I knew at the time what might've been at stake, I still would've done it," Riku said firmly.

"That's fine, and I get that. But what about now?"

"Now?"

"If something were to happen to Sora, say something completely random that you couldn't prevent, would you be okay with dying alongside him? Truly?"

Riku's eyes turned downcast as he clutched his fist in his lap while his other trembled around the handle of his empty teacup. "I...honestly think I would," he answered but even as he said it, the words felt stuck in his throat. He was confident in his answer but he knew Sora would disapprove if he heard him say that which was why it was hard to say.

"Sora wouldn't," Ven's voice sounded sharply. "He wouldn't want you losing your life just because he lost his. If you were both dying together of old age, that'd be one thing, but if he were to suddenly drop dead, do you think he'd be happy knowing that you dropped dead with him? I don't think so!"

"Well even if Chirithy's right," Riku defended, "There's nothing I can do about it now!"

"Well, actually..." Chirithy pondered out loud.

"What is it?" Ven asked.

"Just that...if Riku is just like any of Sora's other dream eaters, he could be released from service just like the others, right?" he wondered as he rubbed his muzzle.

"Released...? You mean...it's possible he could just let me go? Put an end to our connection? Just like that?" Riku asked, completely flabbergasted.

"In theory? Yes." Chirithy smiled but then saw the sad look on Riku's face. "Aw, would it really be all that bad? You two would still have the special connection you've always had! You just wouldn't be eating his nightmares anymore...and there's the added bonus of you know...NOT DYING or risk corruption by darkness via association."

Riku shook his head. "Don't tell Sora. Let's keep this between us."

"What!?" Ven stood up, nearly throwing Chirithy out of his lap, but he caught him in time before he could hit the floor. "You can't keep that from him! He deserves to know!"

"Ven--"

"It's his choice, isn't it? Shouldn't he be allowed to make that decision for himself?" the blonde pressed.

"But as his dream eater, don't I get a say as well?" Riku pressed back, trying not to allow the anger to show in his voice. He knows Ven's got Sora's best interests at heart, but this is something that should just be between him and Sora. He didn't need a third party questioning or butting in or whatever!

Chirithy flailed in Ven's arms until the blond sat back down, fuming quietly.

"Riku, I'm afraid as Sora's dream eater, you really don't have a say. When you became his dream eater your purpose became to serve and protect. If Sora decides the risk is too great...there's nothing you can do to keep him from severing the connection if he wishes. Even so..." Chirithy paused as he saw Riku's face become increasingly distraught. "Keeping him in the dark...I guess that IS a decision you can make. If that's what you want to do, I'll respect your wishes. But understand, if he asks me directly and specifically, I WILL tell him. I owe him a lot, you know."

"I...understand. Thank you, Chirithy," he gave a small smile and looked up at Ven. "Well...what about you, Ven?"

The blonde huffed and fell back further into his chair with a long sigh. "Fine...I won't tell him. But YOU have to. Someday. Alright? He'd want to know."

Riku let out a deep breath. "You're right. I know you are. You have my word. Someday I'll tell him. But now's not the right time. He still needs me. I don't want to give him any reason to second guess his heart. It's my job to protect him so that he can go where his heart leads him without worry. He can't do that if he's concerned with what might happen to me."

"Wow, you really are smitten," Chirithy snickered. "Well best of luck to you two. Just keep in mind what I said."

"Right. Thank you. I'm glad I know, now. It's...given me a lot to think about."


	68. Oath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #sorikuweek2020
> 
> Still out of order with the prompts but what the hey. >3
> 
> Prompt: "Don't Think Twice"  
> Coda (the "tail" of a piece of music that brings it to a conclusion) - A reminder from the past.

Sora texted Riku as soon as he was done talking to Vanitas, his heart racing as he tried to keep his hands from shaking while he typed.

Sora: You done?  
Riku: Yeah. Heading back now.  
Sora: Just meet me at my place. Pack a bag.  
Riku: Wait, why? Everything okay?  
Sora: Treehouse this weekend. I'll explain everything when we get there.  
Riku: 10-4  
Sora: Over and out.

He stuffed his phone into his pocket and quickly threw his keyblade into the air to mount his keyblade glider and took to the skies, speeding for Destiny Islands as fast as he could. He wasn't even sure why he was in such a hurry. He just needed to go somewhere where he felt safe. His heart was beating a million miles a minute and he felt like he was struggling to breathe. He was shaking so much that he stumbled during the landing on the beach, nearly tumbling face first into the sand as he barely had the mind to deactivate his armor before running to his house.

He didn't even greet his parents in the kitchen as he sprinted by them and headed to his room to pack a weekend bag plus his school stuff. His mom's voice didn't register in his ears as she scolded him for not taking his shoes off and tracking sand in the house. "Come on, come on!" he growled with frustration as his shaky hands struggled to zip the bag closed.

"Sora?" his mom peeked her head in. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, everything is fine!" he answered rather sharply and unconvincingly. "I just gotta do something this weekend."

"Oh...okay," she eyed his disheveled state, the short tone of his voice and his shaky movements not lost on her. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked cautiously.

"It's fine! It's work. Don't worry about it!" he stopped as he realized how harsh he sounded and heaved a large sigh before lifting his bags onto his shoulder and walking over to his mother to place an apologetic kiss on her cheek. "I'll be back after school on Monday. Just need some time to think."

"Do you need to take some food with you before you go?" she asked as she gave him a hug.

"I think we're good--" he heard a honk outside and the rumble of Riku's bike. He must already be outside waiting for him. "Love you, mom. I'll see you Monday."

"Take care, honey," she smiled sweetly as she let him go to watch him run down the stairs, sighing as he disappeared from her sight.

"Bye, dad! See you Monday!" he shouted on the way out, almost slamming the door behind him in his haste as he ran outside. Within seconds he straddled the bike and tapped him on the shoulder to signal he was ready to go and off they went!

Now settled behind Riku, Sora felt 100% better already, clinging tightly to his waist as he rested his head between the other's shoulder blades while Riku took them to the treehouse. The entire ride, Riku could tell something was very wrong as the brunette snuggled into his back felt very cold. He could even tell his face felt clammy through the back of his t-shirt but now was not the time to ask about it. In fact, the two stayed silent until they climbed the stairs to the treehouse and dumped their things in a pile. Riku half-expected Sora to leap into his arms like he normally would have when he was this upset, but instead Sora sat down at the low table that they usually studied at, flopping into the cushion and bracing his elbows on its surface before burying his face in his hands.

"Sora...?" Riku approached quietly and sat next to him. "What is it?"

Wordlessly, Sora held a hand out and summoned the χ-blade, earning a gasp from Riku before he set it down on the table and rested his head on his arms.

"Sora! What...how? I thought--"

"I thought so, too," Sora finished for him. He told him all about his discussion with Vanitas and how he worried about the potential return of the Master of Masters. "We need to take precautions."

"Right," Riku nodded solemnly as he reached for one of Sora's hands to squeeze gently. "But for now...are you alright?"

Sora shook his head and nuzzled his cheek against the backs of Riku's fingers. "How'd it go with Chirithy and Ven?"

Riku sighed and scooched closer to wrap his arm around Sora's shoulders, the younger teen lifting his head off the table to lean into Riku instead. "It's like you said. I think he's hiding something, something he doesn't think Ven should hear. He also sort of confirmed what Even speculated...that many of the earliest keyblade wielders didn't live very long. Chirithy said he hadn't heard of any Mark of Masteries being conducted, other than the ones for the foretellers who were picked by Bob himself."

"So all those keys in the Keyblade Graveyard...they were kids...even younger than we were when we got our keyblades..."

"Most likely," Riku nodded solemnly as he rested his chin gently on top of Sora's head, the brunette spikes tickling his cheek.

"So Ven must've been just as young and then Darkness used him to somehow get out of participating in the Keyblade War. And even so, how is Ven here NOW? And how did Master Xehanort get a hold of him?" Sora wondered out loud.

"Chirithy also said something that bothered me. Something about the wielders collecting light and possibly falling to darkness...as in something was possibly corrupting them. Ven had this strange look on his face. So even before the keyblade war, I think something must've been happening amongst the wielders. But I'm grasping at straws otherwise. Chirithy didn't really give me much else," Riku sighed.

"Hey, you did good," Sora pulled away to smile up at him. "That's still something. I think we can call today's mission a success, don't you agree?"

The elder teen smiled and nodded, happy to see a smile on Sora's face again, "Yeah."

"Are you hungry?" the brunette asked as he pressed a chaste kiss to Riku's cheek. "I can go ahead and make dinner if you want?"

"Sure," he kissed him back. "I'll go set the table."

They tried not to talk about Bob or Darkness over dinner, but inevitably the subject came up again as Sora's mind kept racing about all the what-ifs and possibilities.

"We need to tell Master Yen Sid what we know," Riku concluded. "I'm sure he senses something already. We'll let him decide what should happen next. Maybe he can figure something out without the Darkness in Ven catching wise."

"Yes, but what about us? If we're called out, we need to prepare everybody here, too. That means we need to tell Wakka to have second string prepared to take our place. We need to tell Kairi to be able to leave at any minute, so she'll have to tell the volleyball team, too. And then there's finals...if we miss finals you might not be able to graduate and--"

"Easy, easy!" Riku tried to calm him by reaching and grabbing his hand again which trembled in his grasp. "If it happens, it happens. There are more important things. Besides, it's just high school. It's not the end of the world."

"Terrible phrasing," Sora smiled helplessly.

Riku chuckled and raised Sora's hand to his lips to kiss his knuckles. "Point is, everybody at home will be okay. But you're right, we should be prepared to leave at a moment's notice so we don't let anybody down."

Sora nodded and dropped his fork onto his plate with a clatter. "I feel sick."

"Come on, I know what will cheer you up," Riku nodded towards the door and led him outside.

Out on the deck, the two looked up at the stars, Sora in Riku's lap with Riku's birthday quilt wrapped around them.

"You're worried too, aren't you, Riku?" Sora asked. "It's not just me, is it?"

"No, it's not just you," Riku assured him as he buried his face into his hair. "But I know that we did what seemed to be impossible before...so we can do it again."

"You think so?" Sora whispered.

"I know so," Riku murmured back as he pressed a kiss to Sora's temple. "I love you, Sora."

"I love you, too, Riku," he sighed contently as he buried his face into Riku's chest. "Tell me again. Our promise."

Riku smiled into his hair and pulled Sora as close to himself as he possibly could, arms wrapped snugly around him as he gently rocked the both of them while he murmured their promise like a sacred prayer, "If any stars come this way, I'll just hit them back into outer space. I'll always keep you safe."

Sora smiled and grazed his fingers over the bracelet on Riku's wrist. "And I promise to stay with you always." It was the unspoken promise he had given Riku the day he gave him the bracelet with the pretty stone charm. A promise to never leave him behind again.

Riku's eyes drifted closed as he murmured softly, "More than a promise, right?"

Sora nodded minutely, his hand moving to intertwine with Riku's. "Right."

An oath.


	69. Pd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #sorikuweek2020
> 
> "Link to all" - A shared experience
> 
> Riku notices one of Sora's accessory slots. Sora helps Riku obtain a new one...and slips one of his accessories into another slot. ;)

It was quiet, but in a good way.

Spending time together for the weekend in their treehouse was probably the best thing they could've done. Their anxiety was off the charts and both knew that it was just better if they kept to themselves. Plus, the treehouse felt safe. It was their place. Their place to comfort each other uninterrupted or without fear of judgement and without worrying others. They had called Master Yen Sid and finally let him in on everything they knew, about Ventus and Darkness and where they were hiding Vanitas. They explained why they did what they did and Master Yen Sid didn't seem to fault them for it, but he had an air of somebody who sort of suspected something was up anyway. They even told him everything they expected about the past keyblade wielders and the keyblade war and how it might be connected to what's happening now and how it maybe even be linked to the mysterious group of wielders supposedly trapped in the datascape according to Even. When Master Yen Sid absorbed all this information, he said he had to take much into consideration and would talk to Ansem the Wise personally. As for the Wayfinder Trio, he'd also think of a way to discuss things with Masters Aqua and Terra without catching Ven's notice. When, he wasn't sure, but he'd contact them as soon as he was able.

After that, the day went on with an air of anticipation. Even though Master Yen Sid never promised he'd contact them within the day or even that weekend or even SOON, the two felt on edge as if they were waiting for a bomb to drop now that they've divulged what they know, as if any consequences from their actions would be immediate. After a quiet breakfast, they sat together in the giant yellow monstrosity that was the bean bag chair that King Mickey gave Riku for his birthday and watched a movie. Even after the movie was over, they sat in silence for another hour or so, Riku somehow managing to slide sideways with his head in Sora's lap who stroked his fingers through his hair.

While they waited for whatever it was that may or may not even happen, Sora allowed his thoughts to revolve around Riku. He thought about how Riku soothed him last night...how he's ALWAYS making him feel better. He also thought about how little Riku asks for in return. In fact, Riku rarely asks for ANYTHING. He recalled the few times he's actually seen Riku shaken and all he's ever done is ask for Sora to hold him. Sora would give him the whole world if he could. Riku deserves that much at the very least. Yet he knows Riku would only ask for HIM and so himself he gladly gives. Every bit. He wished he could do more and thought about other things.

He thought about how hard and supple Riku's muscles were and yet somehow he gives the gentlest and softest hugs. He thought about the way Riku looks at him every day, how his eyes are so fond and affectionate and so expressive, how he has looks reserved only for him. He thought about how special Riku makes him feel every day and how he always seems to know what he needs. But again, he rarely asks for anything when he DESERVES everything. In fact, the only times he's ever seen Riku ever demonstrate greed is either when he's in dream eater mode or...when they're going at it.

He blushed as his mind wanders back to the times they've gotten hot and heavy thus far and how he relished whenever Riku let himself loose. He recalled their little vacation in Christmas Town and how thrilling it was when they just went at each other and how they even indulged in a little dirty talk. He felt his heart begin to race when he remembered what Riku said to him...and what he said back. And then there was yesterday...

...

 _Wait a minute..._ Sora looked down at the snoozing teen in his lap, completely unaware of the gears that were rapidly spinning in Sora's head. _Didn't he say..._

_"I dream of a beautiful boy with eyes like starlight. Every time I see him, I hold him close and I whisper how he means the world to me."_

Sora's eyes widened as he recalled what Riku said when they were together in San Fransokyo...before Riku fingered him for the first time.

_"...it might be uncomfortable the first time."_

_"Wait, so you're saying it might hurt? How do you know? Wait...have you...?"_

_"No. Just...on myself."_

Sora's stomach did a backflip as he held in a gasp from the epiphany he just had. Could it be possible that Riku has actually wanted him to...do THAT...for a long time? He wasn't just saying that stuff yesterday to be nice?

Whether Riku heard his screaming thoughts or just decided he wanted to get up, the teen opened his eyes and smiled up at Sora serenely before brushing a hand through his spiky locks. "Hey, how about we go outside for a bit? Get some air."

"S-sure," Sora nodded.

Outside they started some seedlings for Sora's herb garden and even repotted some of the ivy plants that Aerith had given them. She said they were climbing flowers and immediately Sora knew he wanted them in the bedroom. Riku wasn't sure he understood what Sora was going for, but he went with it. After a couple of hours of messing around in dirt, they took a quick shower together and somehow ended up going through some of their belongings that they decided they should finally find a permanent home for in their place. Sora had a LOT to unpack from his pockets. By the time he had pulled everything out, the living room floor was COVERED in stuff.

First there was the old, outdated camping equipment. Riku carried that out to the storage shed. It was still in good condition and would serve as a decent back-up but since Sora already had two other sets, there was no need to keep a third in his pockets. Then there was all the food and ingredients. Those went into the kitchen. Then there were all the synthesis materials and knick-knacks and souvenirs and it was almost ridiculous how many small loose items he had. Then came the accessories and the old equipment. For some reason, he still had Donald and Goofy's old shields and wands and what appeared to be mallets that never really got used. Sora said that whenever they got better weapon, the others were just set aside. Whenever he tried to sell them, both would give some odd reason to keep it, like it might be useful later or it might be used to synthesize and even better item. Eventually they just piled up.

Luckily, they had just the place to put Sora's weapon, equipment, and accessory hoard. Kairi's mom had gifted them a lovely antique wardrobe that she had found at a flea market and Merlin had cast magic on it that gave it infinite storage space, not unlike their fairy pockets. So in the items went. The two had been working in comfortable silence almost all day with the exception of a few quiet exchanges, so when Riku suddenly asked, "Whose earrings are these?" from across the room, Sora was a little startled! He turned around to look at Riku who was kneeling amongst a pile of loose jewelry and accessories that he had been trying to sort to put in the wardrobe's drawers.

"Oh, those are mine," Sora answered.

"Wait, you have pierced ears!?" Riku gaped.

"Yeah...? You didn't notice?" Sora scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"No way!" Riku crawled across the floor on his knees and forcefully grabbed Sora's chin so he could tilt his head to the side and see his ears for himself. Sure enough, the tiny holes were there. "Since when!?" He noticed ONE earlobe had a tiny dark spot on it in the past, but he thought it was just a freckle or something. He never paid too much attention to it. But how could this be? How could he have nibbled on these ears a thousand times and not have noticed!?

"Since I was fourteen?" Sora half-laughed with exasperation as he gently shoved Riku away.

"I've NEVER seen you wear any of these!" Riku held up a fencer earring.

The brunette was beginning to find this really funny. Riku really seemed shaken up by this. "Well, I usually prefer belts, rings, pendants, and even anklets. But when I was first starting out with the keyblade, the rings didn't fit right and they felt weird under my gloves. So Donald suggested I equip earrings instead. It was just the next best alternative," he said simply.

"Wait...you let that duck put needles in you!?" Riku gasped!

"Well what choice did I have? Goofy and Donald told me it was for the best and I needed all the protection I could get, so I believed them," the brunette defended. "What's the big deal?"

"Nothing...I'm just surprised. I'm sorry," he smiled. "Any other body modifications I don't know about?"

Sora snickered, "I think if I had a tattoo, you'd know by now."

Riku laughed. "So those earrings you wore during the play...?"

"Those were clip-ons. I didn't tell them my ears were pierced because I'm pretty sure the guys aren't allowed to have pierced ears at our school. Or at least I didn't want to risk it."

"Fair enough. I'm still disappointed I've never seen you wear any of these, though. I bet they look cute on you."

Sora grinned and grabbed a pair of soldier earrings to put in his ears. "Well as much as I like them, the other accessories I've synthesized are stronger. Plus, the really strong ones are a bit big, so they easily get tugged on and it's a little distracting."

"I can see that," Riku smiled as he watched Sora put them in. Sure enough the little dragon and blade design of the soldier earrings was striking on Sora. "Oh yeah, I like those."

The brunette blushed at the attention, suddenly feeling bashful. "You know...they can be useful...accessory-wise. We can pierce yours too, if you want?"

"Uh, no thanks. I don't need an extra accessory slot THAT badly," the elder teen declined.

"You got a thing against earrings?" Sora pouted.

"No, they're very cute on you. But don't you have to wear them for a long time so the holes don't close up?" Riku asked.

"It's fine. Once we put the earring in, we just cast a healing spell. After that, they shouldn't close," Sora explained. "At least that's what we did with mine."

"Hm..."

"But you knooooow~" Sora grinned slyly as he scooched closer to Riku. "There are other places we could pierce instead."

Riku flinched back. "No way!"

"Oh come on! I'm sure you'd look really sexy with pierced nipples!" the younger teen teased.

"Who said anything about nipples?!" Riku's jaw dropped as his face turned scarlet red. "I thought you were talking about eyebrows or my nose or lip or something! Why did you immediately think of nipples!?"

"Shhhhh! I'm trying to imagine it," Sora grinned lecherously as he closed his eyes.

"STOP!" Riku warned, giving him a half shove.

"Fine fine!" Sora laughed. "But seriously, if you don't like how it looks, we can just close the holes up with another healing spell when we're done. No big deal!"

Riku eventually caved into trying one ear piercing, much to Sora's delight. As the younger teen prepared to carry out the procedure, Riku couldn't help smiling to himself at the other's enthusiasm. Hearing the way Sora babbled, it seemed like Sora really wanted to be able to offer this to Riku so that he'd have the option to equip a little extra protection. It was sweet, really. Before he knew it, Sora was applying rubbing alcohol to his ear and numbing it with an ice cube. He averted his eyes so he didn't have to look at the needle in Sora's hand lest he lose his nerve.

"Three, two, one..." Sora counted down before shoving the needle through Riku's ear with the lightning speed he had attained through his years as a keyblade wielder.

It happened so fast that Riku barely felt a thing until Sora inserted one of his slayer earrings into the new hole, similar to the soldier earrings he was wearing but with a small, circular, cyan and pink gem set in the upper half of the main spike. Once Sora set the clasp, he began to feel a bite of pain but Sora was on it with a quick cast of Curaga and then it was done! "How's it look?" he asked.

"So pretty~" Sora murmured in awe as he leaned in close to Riku. "I picked one that matches your eyes...you know...when they change." His eyes were drawn from the little jewel down to the small trickle of blood that cascaded from Riku's earlobe down the side of his neck and leaned in to lick it off his neck, earning a shiver from Riku.

"S-Sora...!" the elder teen shuddered but he didn't pull away.

The brunette's tongue followed the tiny blood trail all the way back up to Riku's freshly pierced and healed earlobe where he sucked the rest of the blood off gently. The coppery taste of Riku left him craving something else. It stirred something in his middle that felt...possessive? He really wasn't quite sure what it was. He just felt this satisfaction of having permanently marked Riku in some way, and in a way that could protect him, no less. "Riku..." he whispered into the delicate shell of his ear, once again earning the satisfaction of another shudder from Riku. "I want you."

Riku gulped, Sora's words shooting straight down to his groin. "But we just--"

"No," Sora murmured. "I mean I want _you_ ," he said again, sliding one hand behind Riku to grab the right side of his rear firmly, hoping that would get his point across as he tried to fight the blush that threatened to permanently stain his cheeks.

Riku let out a gasp, mostly in disbelief as Sora's warm hand felt borderline scalding on his ass as he gripped him. "N-now?" he stuttered dumbly, his voice suddenly sounding very small and unrecognizable to his own ears.

Sora's breath hitched in his throat as he heard the way Riku's voice seemed to have raised a few octaves. Whatever this effect was that he was having on Riku...he liked it. He wanted more...wanted to see what Riku would do. It gave him the nerve to press further, his body forcing itself more and more into Riku's personal space until the teen was trapped beneath him on the floor. "Don't you want me, Riku?" he asked softly.

"Yes..." Riku hissed before he could stop himself. His heart was pounding now as Sora hovered over him, a look of lust and something he couldn't quite place painted on his face. His eyes were so dark and they looked hungry as they stared down into his. His defenses were falling one by one as he felt himself come undone beneath Sora's intense gaze. "But..." he breathed. "Maybe not on the floor?"

Riku's voice was like a beacon of clarity in the lust-induced fog that was creeping into Sora's brain. Riku watched with amusement as Sora blinked a couple of times as if the lights were just turned on in his head. "Oh, right," the brunette giggled. "Yeah, I suppose."

Sora got up first and offered a hand to help Riku off the floor, but as soon as they were both on their feet, they started tearing each other's clothes off, Sora especially aggressively before pushing Riku backwards onto the bed where the teen landed with a small oof before Sora was right back on top of him and ravaging him with kisses.

Riku allowed himself to melt beneath Sora's feverish kisses, the other's tongue gliding smoothly into his mouth to explore while warm hands slid over his chest and shoulders. He shuddered hard as Sora moaned into his mouth with noises of admiration as he clutched and worshipped his muscles with his calloused fingers. Everywhere he touched elicited another wave of excitement but a little shyness too as the reality of the current situation began to dawn on him. This wasn't a dream, this was happening for real! He felt himself gripping Sora's waist, pulling the other's exploring body closer and matching Sora's soft moaning in kind as he reveled in the feel of the other's heated flesh pressed against his. A bare graze of his fingers across the scars on the brunette's lower back confirmed everything for Riku as Sora arched back against his touch and breaking the kiss to let out a quiet mewl. This was his Sora.

Sora propped himself up on his hands to half-glare at Riku, "None of that, now. You're at MY mercy this time."

Riku grinned up at him. "Whatever you say~"

"Hmph," Sora smirked before diving his head down to suck on one of Riku's nipples, earning a gasp from the elder teen who released one hand from Sora's waist to clutch at the sheets instead.

"A-aah!" Riku let out a breathy moan as Sora's tongue flicked over his hardening nub, the wet, teasing motions sending sparks down his spine and gathering in a pool below his navel. Before he could even protest, Sora licked a trail to the other one which he gave the same treatment before slowing down until he was softly suckling it. The hard shift from intense to gentle earned another low moan from Riku whose breathing was beginning to get faster as he listened to the soft, wet sounds of Sora sucking on his pec.

Sora sucked until he could feel Riku's bicep unclench beneath his hand and removed his mouth with a soft pop before kissing his way up Riku's neck, his hands moving to entangle themselves in his soft, silver mane. From there he nibbled and sucked on Riku's pulse point, gently tugging on the older teen's hair to force his head back to obtain more access. As he left little love marks, he began dragging his fingernails down Riku's scalp with just the right amount of pressure to drive the teen wild.

"S-Sora!" Riku choked as he let out a noise between a moan and a sob. Sora was doing too good of a job! Down below, Sora's hips were writhing against his, their hard lengths pressed together side by side. He's not even sure if Sora's aware that he's doing it, but if he didn't move on soon, Riku wasn't going to last! "Sora, please!"

"Huh?" Sora lifted his head to look at Riku. "Something wrong?"

Riku couldn't help chuckling at the look on Sora's face. He looks kiss-drunk! His eyes were half-lidded and hazy and his cheeks flushed with his bruised lips slightly parted as he lightly panted. He lifted a hand to cup one of his warmed cheeks, his thumb softly tracing a line between the couple of freckles that speckled beneath his eyes. "No, just that...you might want to get a move on," Riku suggested, rolling his hips against Sora's to brush their lengths together once again for emphasis, eliciting a soft moan from Sora who nodded as he got the point.

"Okay," the brunette whispered, kissing Riku one more time before reaching into the bedside table where they stashed their newly acquired supplies. When he leaned back over Riku he had a smug grin on his face. "Too hot for you to handle, huh?"

Unamused, Riku reached up and flicked the brunette on the forehead.

"OW!" Sora yelped as he rubbed the newly-flicked spot. "Be nice!"

"Don't gotta," the silverette snickered.

"You do if you want any of this~" Sora smirked and even gave a little purr as he ground his hips into Riku's. "Hm~?"

Riku's face instantly lit scarlet. "Okay, okay!"

Sora giggled and resumed kissing down Riku's chest and abdomen, teasing the ridges of his abs with his tongue to taste the perspiration that had gathered there before crawling further down. With hands gently braced on Riku's thighs, he took the other's now-dripping length into his mouth, swirling his tongue greedily around the tip, earning a soft moan from Riku whose hand had flown up to his mouth as if he were about to bite into it to stifle his moaning. "S-Sora..."

Sora looked up and pulled his mouth off of him, his voice husky, "Don't hold back, Riku. I want to hear you. I want to hear everything."

Riku's breath hitched in his throat at those words, just the way he said it made his hips buck a little. Did Sora have any idea how much of an effect he was having on him? It was really hard to tell. "Don't worry..." Riku assured him.

Sora blushed at the implication, the little hint giving him a confidence boost that he really needed because right about now he was freaking out just a little bit. He sat back on his heels between Riku's legs and looked down while he fumbled with the bottle of lube that he had grabbed. His mind was suddenly going blank. Just from where he was sitting he was already seeing a sight of Riku that he had never seen before and it was making his heart pound in his chest. Riku was beneath him and watching him and just waiting and he began to worry if it wouldn't feel good. What if he messed up? What if he hurt him? Also what should he be doing RIGHT NOW? He tried to recall what Riku did their first time and he knew the direction he WANTED to go but...He glanced up again at Riku's face to see him smiling softly before the bed shifted as he raised his knees to tilt his hips and grant Sora access.

The brunette sighed gratefully, leaning his head down to kiss the inside of Riku's left thigh as he finally turned his eyes back down to his task. But the second he did, his heart stopped and a pink blush spread on his cheeks. Riku's hole looked...cute? He felt almost embarrassed for thinking of it that way, but it really was! He had never even seen his own hole so he wasn't sure what to expect. He felt relieved!

Riku watched Sora stare for what felt like a very long time. This was already a little embarrassing for him so he didn't appreciate the silence very much. "You're staring..."

"Sorry!" Sora giggled sheepishly as he hurried to apply lube to his fingers.

Riku tilted his head sympathetically as he watched Sora fumble with the bottle. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah just...nothing," the brunette chuckled, deciding he'd rather keep his comment on Riku's cute hole to himself. "Is it okay if I start?"

"Mm-hmm," Riku hummed and relaxed back against the pillows. "Take your time," he assured him. "You don't have to rush."

Sora nodded. "Just...tell me if I'm doing something wrong, okay?"

"Don't worry. It'll be fine," Riku assured him warmly.

Sora took a deep breath as he circled his index finger around Riku's puckered entrance, fascinated with how it twitched beneath his fingertip and then once he tried sliding it inside his eyes widened at how easily it went in. He knows his own didn't take Riku's in THIS easily. Then again, Riku did say he was a little more used to this so maybe...Just the idea of it, of Riku fingering himself when he was alone...imagining it made his own length throb and he swallowed hard before he started moving his finger.

Riku took a long, quiet breath as Sora's finger slid inside. It already felt so different from fingering himself. He could feel how shy Sora was with the way his fingers moved and the way he rubbed him inside was so gentle and sweet. The sentiment alone made him feel so warm all over. When he felt his finger slide out, he groaned softly from the loss but then when it pushed back in with a second finger joining it he let out a gasp as he felt Sora strike his prostate!

Sora froze as Riku let out a sharp gasp. "Sorry! Did I--"

"No, no!" Riku immediately answered to calm the other's worries. "Keep going. It was good."

The younger teen blinked a couple of times in confusion but then he realized what he must've struck. "Wait, was it--"

"Yeah," Riku nodded, moving his hips to further encourage Sora to keep going. "Lucky shot."

"Nah, that's all skill, baby," Sora grinned cheekily as he leaned forward to give Riku a kiss.

"Heh," Riku smirked into the kiss even as his cheeks burned. "Bet you can't do it again~" he teased.

"Oh watch me," Sora whispered against his lips as he gently slid his fingers out. When he pushed them in again, Riku let out another soft cry. Sora's jaw dropped slightly as he watched Riku's face screw up in pleasure. He wanted to hear him make that noise again! So he thrust his fingers again, eliciting another moan from the silverette. "Riku..." he whispered in awe as he felt Riku's inner walls suck on his fingers.

"Mm...mmm...mmm!" Riku continued to moan as Sora thrust his fingers in and out, keeping a slow pace but somehow it still felt a little fast as he struck that special spot over and over. His eyes were tightly shut and his mouth agape as he threw his head back into the pillow. He could feel spurts of pleasure escaping his cock that was trapped between their warm bodies as Sora continued to lean over him. Just knowing Sora was watching his face this closely had Riku gripping the bedsheets as he resisted the urge to raise his arms to cover his face. "S-Sora!" he cried his name out at long last, pleadingly! "I'm ready. Please!"

"You sure?" Sora asked, panicking a little because he hadn't even tried a third finger yet like Riku did with him. Would it really be enough?

"Yes," Riku swallowed hard as he forced one eye open to look at Sora. "I want you _now_."

The absolute NEED in Riku's voice made all the blood in Sora's body rush into two places at once. It was dizzying, but he wasn't about to refuse. He nodded and leaned back to remove his fingers from Riku who groaned again at the loss. Sora instinctively reached out to touch him, tracing his fingers down his hips, his lubed hand lingering on the scar on Riku's left hip. The touch earned another quiet mewl from Riku that stirred something deep in Sora. He knew what he wanted to do, something he'd been thinking about for a while. He listened to Riku's breaths, let them calm him before he reached for Riku's right thigh and guided it to roll over, earning a confused grunt from Riku, but he complied.

Sora guided Riku until his body was halfway twisted but not far enough to over-test Riku's flexibility. Upon seeing the look Riku was giving him, Sora smiled shyly. "I want to see your face." The admission made Riku bite his lower lip for a split second, something Sora rarely ever sees him do and somehow it just made him melt. His own limbs began to feel like jello as he heavily moved into position, straddling Riku's left leg with his Right leg folded over. Only when he was almost lined up with Riku's entrance did he realize he forgot the condom and then he cursed himself. "Shoot, sorry," he mumbled with embarrassment as he fumbled with the tiny packet. He was so ready, too!

Riku couldn't help chuckling as he could see the gears switch in Sora's head. But just as he was about to offer to help Sora, the brunette ripped it open with his teeth and began sliding it down his length, which Riku could clearly see was heavy and already dripping. The sight made him hiss a little as his heart and his length gave a hard throb. He watched as Sora bit his own lower lip as he equipped the condom, his abs rippling as they tightened and his shoulders shaking just a little. So entranced he was by Sora that he didn't hear him ask if he was ready, his voice not even registering until he felt Sora's tip poke at his entrance. "Huh? Oh, yes," Riku nodded a little shakily.

Sora tilted his head. "If you don't like this position--"

"No, it's fine," Riku whispered. "I trust you."

The brunette smiled sweetly, running his hand down the outside of Riku's thigh before lining himself up properly. Without even saying anything, they synched up their breathing and both let out twin gasps as Sora pushed himself inside.

"Ohhhh!!" Riku moaned as Sora slid in and KEPT sliding in until he was all the way down to the hilt.

Sora panted and moaned as he felt Riku's inner walls pulse and throb around him as they adjusted to his intrusion. It so tight and so hot and OH so good! "Riku...Riku..." he moaned his love's name as his hands caressed his thigh and backside. He managed to open his eyes and saw Riku's half-lidded eyes looking up at him with his mouth held slightly agape, a sight that took his breath away. "You look so beautiful like this..."

The compliment made a whimper escape Riku. He's heard other people comment on his looks, whether it be compliment or jest, but somehow when Sora says it, he believes it. It makes him feel truly seen, truly loved. "Sora..." he breathed. "Kiss me."

Sora leaned forward, going impossibly deeper inside Riku as Riku leaned up until their lips met. As they kissed, Sora moaned as he felt Riku's walls suck him further in and just couldn't stop his hips from reacting. He began moving them in small, rhythmic motion which had them both moaning into each other's mouths until Riku couldn't stand it anymore and laid back down. Without even having to be told, Sora knew Riku was ready for him to pick up the pace and he was more than happy to do so! He could feel it, he could feel Riku's desire and need through the connection of their hearts AND their bodies. As he pulled out until he was almost completely out, he reached for Riku's length before thrusting back in, earning a high-pitched moan from Riku which further encouraged him to keep going. Faster and faster he thrusted, as he started pumping his sobbing erection at the same time. "It's so good, Riku, so good!" Sora moaned.

"S-Sora!"

"Ah ah ah ah!!" Sora gasped with every thrust, the wet sounds of skin slapping skin, Riku's moans, and the rapid pace of both their breathing a symphony in his ears as he felt himself rise to a whole new height of pleasure and he hoped it was the same for Riku as he felt the both of them getting closer to their climax. "Riku! Riku! I'm gonna--"

"Yes! Sora, please!" Riku begged as fireworks exploded behind his eyelids. His whole body was on fire and every thrust was threatening to send him over the edge! His whole world felt like it was falling apart and being rebuilt over and over again, like small earthquakes in his body that tore everything apart only for the cracks to be filled with hot lava and pulled together again. He was ready for the final seismic explosion that would finally blow him sky high!

With one last grunt, Sora slammed into Riku hard and let himself go, moaning as he focused his last few shallow thrusts on the spot he knew would bring Riku to completion as he spilled the evidence of his pleasure. As he let go, he heard Riku cry out and spill his seed all over his hand. Sora isn't sure how he managed to keep milking him even as he lost himself in his own orgasm, but he kept going until he felt Riku's body began to quiver from aftershocks and ceased his ministrations. His eyes could barely keep focus as it felt like he was never going to come down from his high, his heart still pounding in his ears as he forced his limbs to move so he could carefully pull out of Riku, who moaned as he slid away.

"Sora...Sora..." Riku moaned the other's name, his eyes too bleary now to see anything as he just realized tears of pleasure from his climax had come forth. But then true to form, he felt Sora spoon him from behind and the two lay together as they waited for their breathing to calm, hearts rapidly pounding together as they shivered together in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"Riku..." Sora whispered into the back of Riku's sweaty neck. "That was amazing."

"You were amazing," Riku whispered back, his hands moving to cover Sora's as they tightened around his middle.

"I'm glad. I'm so glad."

Riku smiled as he intertwined their fingers. "Where did you learn that position? What's it even called?" he asked once his breathing returned somewhat to normal.

"Oh," Sora chuckled a little hoarsely. "It's called the pretzel dip."

Riku's eyes shot wide open and he turned in Sora's grip to look at him. "No way! Is it really?"

Sora laughed, "Yeah, it really is!"

The sweaty silverette rolled his eyes. "Of course it is."

"Isn't it great?" Sora giggled furiously.

"Yeah," Riku sighed and smiled helplessly at the giddy teen. "It's perfect."

Sora blushed, " _You're_ perfect."

"No, you~" Riku chuckled as he tilted Sora's chin up to kiss him softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Sora whispered against his lips. "Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, if you're curious, here's a [SFW image of "Pretzel Dip"](https://live.staticflickr.com/4035/4615028566_339f732cde.jpg).


	70. Hand in Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soriku week 2020 prompt
> 
> "Hand in Hand" - a celebration  
> "Always On My Mind" - An anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter's technically late for Soriku week but this week was EXHAUSTING!

The two soaked in their large, claw-footed bathtub together, Riku lounging back with Sora lying contently on top of him while making a bubble tower. The tiny splashing sounds from Sora made Riku hum to himself with amusement before he opened his eyes to glance down at what Sora was constructing, "Looks like a pirate ship."

Sora laughed, "Yeah, it kinda does, doesn't it?"

"Hm, you know I've been thinking..."

"Hm?"

"What if we just went somewhere for the rest of the weekend?"

"Like where? And for what?" Sora asked as he pushed the little "pirate ship" across the surface of the water and blew on it to help it glide away to the other end of the tub.

"Well, our anniversary is coming up and--"

"Wait!" Sora interrupted and turned his head halfway to look at him. "Which anniversary?"

"Er...um...you know, the one where you confessed?" Riku explained though now he was starting to regret he said anything.

"When I was asleep, right?"

"That's right," Riku smiled with relief.

"That's already happened," Sora blinked.

"Wait, what?" Riku straightened up.

"Yeah, I thought that's why you asked me on a date to the pier. Our one year anniversary was in January," the brunette explained.

"Wait wait wait wait..." Riku began panicking. "That can't be right, I have it written down in my journal as--"

"Uh, hate to burst your bubble," Sora giggled as he turned in the tub to poke Riku on the tip of his nose, leaving behind a little ball of suds perched there. "But I confessed BEFORE my birthday, remember?"

Smoke started coming out of Riku's ears as he tried to remember, but he knew Sora was right! Even if Sora didn't know the exact date, it was definitely winter because it was cold when Sora awoke and he knew enough that it was bluefin season and he was right, it happened a couple of months before his birthday. "Wait, this is going to bug me!" Riku suddenly stood up and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Sora to fall backwards in the tub as he went to grab his journal, leaving a trail of water in his wake.

"Riku! You're gonna slip!" Sora scolded as he sat back up properly, his semi-dry hair now sopping wet.

Riku dripped into the bedroom and nearly tripped on their clothes scattered all over the floor when he reached for the drawer in the desk set up in there. He grabbed his beat-up journal and flipped through the pages. He didn't have to search for very long before he found the entry and that's when he noticed it. "I must've been so tired I didn't realize..." he groaned before closing the journal and whacking himself on the forehead with it. He had written 4/1 instead of 1/4. "I'm such an idiot." He tossed the journal back into the drawer just as he heard the soft pitter patter of bare feet on wood before damp arms slid around his waist.

"It's not that big a deal, Riku. It's the thought that counts," Sora murmured as he hugged Riku from behind. "I think you did remember in your own way. Your heart remembered, just not your head," he giggled.

"I guess that's true," Riku laughed before turning around to hug Sora back to see the brunette was dressed in one of his shirts, which was clearly way too big on him. "So cute."

A faint blush dusted Sora's cheeks. "You going to get back in the bath with me, or what?"

"Hmm..." Riku hummed as his hands drifted down Sora's waist and slipped around behind his thighs to cup his bare backside beneath the oversized shirt, earning a squeak from the smaller teen. "Maybe a few more minutes."

. . .

After a little discussion, the pair decided to head for the Caribbean and clear their heads on the open seas. They've both gotten really adept at making good time while flying on their keyblade vehicles so the trip felt like it didn't take very long at all. Before they knew it, they were in Port Royal and Sora's ship, the Leviathan, was there waiting for them!

"Haha! She's looking great!" Sora cheered excitedly as he hopped aboard.

"I never thought we'd see this ship again!" Riku gasped. The last time they were here, the ship had been torn to bits by a giant heartless.

"HAIL, SORA!" a familiar voice called out to them.

"Jack?" Sora looked up to see Captain Jack Sparrow waving at them from the docks. Across the way they could see the Black Pearl had set anchor. "Jack!"

"The captain has the best timing," Riku chortled.

"Permission to come aboard, captain?" Jack grinned.

"Permission granted!" Sora snickered, though Jack was already stumbling halfway up the bridge.

"Fancy seeing you two! You have impeccable timing!" the captain greeted.

"We were just saying the same about you," Riku grinned.

"Aye! I was hoping to employ your services, mates. I have a job in desperate need of your particular field of expertise," Jack explained.

"More heartless?" Sora asked.

"Perhaps, but not the forefront of my problem. You see, when the last big beastie was at large, my crew unfortunately had to dispose of certain cargo to make our exit. We're currently on an expedition to retrieve it, savvy?" he pointed back at the Black Pearl which Sora and Riku could now see had a rather crude-looking crane attached to its deck.

Riku squinted, "Wait, so you're asking us to DIVE for it?"

The captain grinned widely, "The lad catches on fast. I knew I liked him."

Mr. Gibbs, Jack's first mate, was not too far behind the Captain, who greeted Sora and Riku with a nod before trying to get Jack's attention. "Excuse me, Captain. The crew has a few concerns about employing outside help, if you pardon me for saying so," he nodded to Sora and Riku again.

"Concerns?" Jack sneered.

"Aye, to split the loot with two more participants means cutting into their share as well," Mr. Gibbs explained.

Sora crossed his arms. "We haven't even said yes--"

"Oi!" Jack turned to see his crew had gathered on the docks looking very disagreeable, their appearance startling Sora and Riku who haven't even noticed they had an audience. "If any of ye bilge rats want to volunteer to dive, I'll gladly hear it, savvy?"

The crew all looked to each other and nervously rubbed the backs of their heads as they turned away and avoided making eye contact with each other, muttering excuses amongst themselves before dispersing.

"Thank ye, captain, I think that clears up the negotiations," Mr. Gibbs chuckles nervously before disembarking.

"What WOULD be our share?" Sora grinned deviously.

Jack grinned toothily, "Well, I have a mind that you can't carry much where you're going, am I correct?"

Sora deflated slightly, "You're not wrong. We don't have much use for gold and silver."

"Aye, but there ARE some items I know you will find useful for your particular flavor of arsenal. Retrieve those and they're all yours. As for the monetary share, I think enough for you lads to have a good time in Tortuga when we make port afterwards is a fair exchange?" the captain bargained.

Sora looked to Riku who gave a small cross-armed shrug. It didn't much matter to him. They were here for fun, after all. "Just depends on how long this will all take. We have to be out of here by Sunday evening."

"Aye, if we leave now, we'll be in Tortuga by late evening. Do we have an accord?" the captain asked with an extended hand.

"Aye-aye, captain," Sora grinned and shook the offered hand. "We're at your service."

"Done!" the captain shook his hand firmly. "Then we're off! We'll be taking the lead. Don't fall too far behind, lads!"

* * *

Before you could sing "What do you do with a drunken sailor?", both ships were back on the high seas. Though Sora would never admit it, the Leviathan did have a little trouble keeping up with the speed and majesty that was the Black Pearl, so he and Riku were keeping the sails full with aero magic to catch up. Finally, when there were no spits of land or other ships in sight, Captain Jack waved the signal that they were dropping anchor, and Sora and Riku followed instructions to drop anchor beside the ship and come aboard.

"Something about what Mr. Gibbs said concerns me," Riku mused as they prepared the anchor.

"What's that?" Sora asked.

"He referred to the items we're retrieving as "loot". Meaning that what we're grabbing may not really belong to them in the first place," he pointed out.

Sora straightened up, realization dawning on him as he furrowed his brow. "We might need to renegotiate some of our terms, then."

When the pair came aboard the formally-cursed black ship, the crew was already working fast to prepare the crane and nets and several long ropes that looked almost brand new. Sora nodded to Riku to talk to Mr. Gibbs for a moment while he had a word with the Captain who was barking orders from the wheel.

When Sora approached, he could see the Captain pouring over an open map on the table with many marks inked all over it, some crossing places out, others circled, all while he carefully studied his special compass. "Jack, there's something we need to discuss...about the LOOT," Sora said the word pointedly.

The captain straightened up, "The accord have already been made, young Sora."

Sora crossed his arms. "Aye, but I'm adding conditions. One being that I think a little more information is in order."

The captain gave a toothy grin and stole a glance at Riku who he could see watching them out of the corner of his eye, "Mr. Riku is sharp. You have a fine first mate there, lad."

Sora smiled helplessly but then shook his head to put on a serious look again. "I know, but don't change the subject!"

The captain chortled before waving Sora over to look at the map. "Next time, think of your conditions before you shake hands, savvy?" He started pointing at the different places on the map that he had marked. "We're not the only poor beggars who had to drop cargo to make an escape when the big beastie is at large. Thus we're not the only ones expediting. However, the other amateurs are combing the likes of Shipwreck Cove in hopes that the tides have carried it there. However, my many sources have already informed me of the escape routes they had taken and thus dropped and through various other means, I have charted where everything has ended up."

Sora glanced at the compass Jack had clutched in his hand. "Various other means, huh?"

Jack shot him a look before stuffing the little box into his pocket. "So to answer your question, the items we are rescuing do not ALL belong to us, but they WILL, once we find them."

"Uh-huuuuuuuh," Sora raised an eyebrow really high, now seeing why Jack told them to come along in their own ship as well. "Just so we're clear, Captain, Riku and I have our own rules to follow. If we grab this loot, we can only protect you from HEARTLESS. Any others and you're on your own. We can't interfere with your pirate-y squabbles."

"Rules or guidelines?" the pirate asked cheekily.

"Rules," Sora answered firmly.

"Understood. Then we best be quick about it, savvy?" Jack grinned.

On deck, the crew introduced Sora and Riku to the rig system they improvised out of some old fishing equipment. The plan is for Sora and Riku to dive down with buoys attached to their person so that the pirates can tell where they are and another rope for them to tug when they want either a hook or a net. Sounded easy enough.

As Sora wrapped the rope around his middle, he glanced down at the dark depths. The rest of the waters he's explored were pretty clear. So they must have a long way down to go. Riku stood next to him and seemed to have the same thought. "Sure you'll be able to see anything?" Riku was a little more adept at seeing in the dark due to his time spent wandering in the dark realm. But he knew it would be a little more difficult for Sora.

The younger teen shrugged. "I guess if I need to, I can use my gummi phone as a flashlight."

Riku chuckled. "Just improvise, huh?"

Sora laughed. "Exactly!" he cheered before swan-diving into the sea.

Riku turned and gave a little salute to the captain and crew before diving in right after him.

The two plunged deep into the abyss, the normally warm waters getting chillier the further they went down. The two stayed a fair distance apart to better survey the area and so they don't entangle the ropes attached to their waists. Amidst the chilly, quiet waters, light was becoming more scarce, but Sora could make out the barest outlines of crates below him. He looked around for Riku to signal him to come over but a slight stir in the current gave him another chill that ran down his spine. For some reason, the depths reminded him of his battle with Master Xehanort when he had turned Scala upside down and they fought beneath it under water around the remains of what appeared to be a clock tower. A clock tower, he realizes, that looked very similar to the one they fought the Master of Masters in. Thoughts began swimming around in his head so rapidly that he didn't even notice Riku appearing next to him, who was worried when he saw Sora had stopped moving and shook his shoulder to snap him out of his slight daze.

Sora shook his head and nodded to show he was fine before pointing down to what was potentially their first catch. Riku nodded and the two swam down to survey the crates closer to see if a hook would be sufficient. They found a couple of chests and hooked the hooks they brought down with them before giving the ropes a tug and swimming back a bit so that the crew could pull them up. Once the chests were out of sight, they could see a weighted net being lowered down, which they caught so they could get to work.

As they moved the crates, they could make out different markings on the boxes, some in languages they couldn't read. Others appeared to be branded by the East India Trading Company. Once again, Sora was being reminded that being a pirate wasn't all fun and games. Searching for buried treasure means searching for things that once belonged to somebody else. But being a pirate also means finders keepers and from the looks of things, these items would be nearly impossible to retrieve if it weren't for them so what was the harm, really? If they didn't find this stuff, somebody else...or nobody else would.

With guilty feelings pushed aside, he really was having fun doing this with Riku. As they moved from spot to spot, Sora's eyes adjusted better to the darkness and he could really appreciate the sights the sea had to offer. Schools of silvery fish swam around them, giant manta rays glided through the waters above their heads, and beautiful reefs decorated the sandy floor and jagged rocks in a brilliant carpet of color. They even found a few crates that little white crabs were trying to get away with and snatched them up, too. He and Riku felt a little bad for some of the critters they had to evict during their excavations, but it couldn't be helped. They could swear they heard cheering from the ship above them every time they bagged another set of crates which motivated them to keep going whenever they felt tired.

At last, when they came up for air for what felt like the fiftieth time, the sun was starting to set and the Captain declared that they couldn't fit any more swag on the ship. It was time to go! When the crew got them aboard, they received many pats on the back for their hard work. Not one seemed to have any complaints about sharing their haul as they hadn't actually expected to recover this much. The captain rewarded them with a few chests filled with synthesis materials, useful equipment, and even a chest of mega-potions. Lastly, he gave each of them a decently-sized sack of silver and gold! With their loot in hand, the two followed the Black Pearl to Tortuga in the Leviathan where they made port just as the last speck of light had disappeared from the horizon.

On land, Sora and Riku felt sluggish, their limbs heavy after being in the water for most of the day, so they indulged in a megapotion to perk themselves up before joining the rest of the crew at the local pub. There they indulged in a feast, not really caring what the food tasted like as they stuffed themselves silly, starving after a long day of diving and lifting.

"Reckon you're old enough to enjoy this now, aye?" the captain grinned as he slid Sora and Riku a couple of tankards of ale.

Sora took the offered drink and gave a little cheers before sipping its contents, wincing only slightly before going back to his meal. Riku on the other hand drank with a little more enthusiasm, much to Sora's surprise. "Take it easy, Riku!" the brunette joked.

"Hey, it's better than the water, right?" the silverette grinned.

"Aye, now he's getting it!" the captain chortled. The group continued to partake in food and drink. After around the third tankard, the captain asked, "So I forgot to ask, mates, what brought you two back to port?"

"Just clearing our heads," Sora said simply with a shrug. "Guess you could say we received some bad news and we're trying to decide what to do next."

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Riku agreed as he sourly bit into a dry turkey leg.

"Sorry to hear that, lads. The sea can be a comforting mistress when she wants to be," he tipped his tankard slightly, "However, sometimes one must look within for the answers they seek."

Sora looked up from his own drink with a smile but said nothing. The captain smiled back before changing the subject. "So when are you two planning on settling down?"

Riku coughed on his food. "What do you mean by that?"

"Come now, lad. No need to be embarrassed. It's been written on young Sora's face that he had a special someone even before I met you," Jack chortled.

Sora blushed furiously, "No way!"

Mr. Gibbs cackled from beside the captain. "So no plans for a matelotage then, says ye?"

Sora tilted his head, "What's a matelotage?"

"Aye, a civil union between two male pirates, lad! An union honored right here in Tortuga!" Mr. Gibbs explained.

"It ensures that if one dies, the other inherits your loot or receives the share one would have gotten during a campaign, savvy?" Jack grinned.

Riku blushed, "Really? That's a thing?"

Sora gasped and Riku could already see him getting excited. "Let's do it, Riku! We're already here!"

"Wait, what? You can't be serious!" Riku sputtered.

"Come on, Riku! Don't you want to marry me?" Sora looked like he was about to cry.

"I-I do. You know I do," Riku backpedaled.

"Then let's do it! Let's get pirate-married!" Sora cheered as he grabbed both of Riku's hands.

Riku could could only laugh. The ale was really starting to kick in and he found he didn't really care. "Alright, let's do it." He looked to Jack who was grinning from ear to ear. "How do we do this matelotage thing?"

"GENTS!" Jack stood up on the table to gather everybody's attention in the pub. "CAPTAIN SORA AND MR. RIKU ARE HAVING A MATELOTAGE!"

The whole pub cheered and gunshots started going off in celebration. Sora and Riku covered their ears and ducked down under the table, laughing giddily as the pirates got even more rowdy while the Captain started spouting out orders.

"Mr. Gibbs, fetch the parchment and a quill!"

"Aye-aye, cap'n!"

"You there!" the captain pointed to another pirate and tossed a small satchel full of coins. "Go to the jeweler and grab us a couple of gold rings. Come back here immediately when you're done!"

"Aye-aye!" the sailor caught the bag and ran off.

The captain pulled Sora and Riku out from under the table by their collars and led them to a quieter area of the pub. "Come lads, don't be shy!"

Sora was a giggling mess. "Wait, we're doing it NOW?"

"Of course! It's the least I can do!" Jack explained with a bow and a tip of his hat.

Riku stumbled slightly. "Wait, I'm still not sure I understand." He looked around at all the pirates getting excited on their behalf as they shoved tables aside and started rounding up instruments to play. "Isn't this just a contract?"

"It is what you want it to be, mate," Jack answered simply as he sat down and dipped his quill into the ink to start writing on the parchment that Mr. Gibbs provided him. Suddenly, the pirate captain didn't seem as tipsy as he was merely moments ago as his quill danced across the page, scrawling what actually looked like to be a legitimate contract. "Personally, I find it to be a cause for cheer. After all, mate, when you pursue the life of a pirate, there are not many you can trust. And if you do find that one worth trusting, I say that's worth celebrating."

"Aye," Sora giggled as he clutched Riku's arm happily.

The chaos continued to ensue as the pirates bartered for more drink and the instruments began to play a soft tune that had Sora weaving back and forth on his feet as he continued to cling to Riku. The two watched Jack continue to work and Mr. Gibbs proof-read it when he was done to make sure all the stipulations were in order. After a wax seal press, the pirate who was sent to get the rings came back with the gold trinkets proudly in hand. "I GOT THE RINGS!"

"Good lad!" the captain praised and waved him over to hand each ring to Sora and Riku. "Just hold onto these for a second and we'll get started."

Suddenly, the doors were kicked open again as were all the shudders on the windows as a whole swarm of pirates forced themselves in, a few of which Sora recognized but they definitely weren't from Jack's crew. Among them stood Captain Barbossa and--

"ELIZABETH!" Sora gasped as he saw the recently-crowned Pirate King. "Elizabeth, is that really you!?"

"Sora!" she greeted, dressed in her finery, fully armed, and flanked by her crew. "What are you doing here?"

"We're--"

"Excuse us, your majesty, but you're interrupting Captain Sora's wedding!" Jack spoke up.

"Are you sure you're not just kicking up a fuss because you happened to have appropriated our swag, Jack?" Captain Barbossa spat.

"Wait, was that yours--" Riku asked, slurring slightly by now as Sora held him steady, though not so steady himself.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" the other captain answered. "But you're more than welcome to join us in celebrating Captain Sora and Mr. Riku's union!"

"YESH!" Sora pumped his fist in the air. "Come on, guysh! When we're done, we can party on my ship!"

The whole pub erupted in cheers, catching Elizabeth and Barbossa off guard, but they merely looked at each other and nodded before putting away their weapons.

"WOOHOO!" the brunette cheered. "Let's do this!"

"Quite right!" the captain agreed. "Dearly beloved, we're gathered here today..."

Fiddles played softly as Captain Jack read from the document, ink barely dried as he read the terms of their civil union, their promise to be together forever. All the while, Sora stared fondly at Riku, hands clasped tightly in his as he stared fondly back. Besides the sounds of the music, the pub was respectfully quiet, save for the occasional loud sniffle and blowing into a handkerchief.

"Captain Sora," Jack looked up. "Do you take Riku?"

"I do," Sora grinned.

"Mr. Riku, do you take Sora?"

"I do," Riku smiled.

"Then sign here and here aaaaaaand here. Then you may exchange the rings."

Sora and Riku bent over the document and signed their names, both their hands a little unsteady as their hearts raced with excitement. After which, they straightened and looked at each other before wordlessly slipping the rings they were holding onto each other's fingers. As they did so, Captain Jack signed his own name, making their union official and had Elizabeth and Captain Barbossa and twenty others sign it as well, including Mr. Gibbs, stating that they were witnesses to this sacred occasion.

"By the power vested in me as captain of the Black Pearl, I declare this matelotage official! You may now kiss!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Riku laughed before scooping Sora up in his arms and laying a big wet one on him, the younger teen giggling happily into the kiss as his feet flailed beneath him.

The pub erupted into more cheers and gunshots, the smell of sulfur heavy in the air as the two deepened their sloppy kiss in front of everybody, neither noticing the captain rolling up the document and slipping it into Sora's pocket.

"Alright, mates. I believe you promised a party on your ship!" the captain reminded them.

Sora and Riku broke apart, grinning widely with flushed faces. "Yes, yes, whatever you want!" Sora giggled.

In no time at all, it was complete chaos aboard the Leviathan. The pirates were not shy about raiding the kitchen and helping themselves to the infinite amount of food and drink stored in the magically-stocked cupboards and music was being played on deck where there was much lively dancing and singing to be had. Sora even set off a few fireworks with his keyblade, much to everybody's delight. After he used up all his magic, Riku corralled him into a dance. Together they danced until they felt like they could no longer stand and so had to have another drink with the other captains to get their energy back up, however Sora noticed Elizabeth was not drinking and managed to put two and two together!

"Contratu-lashens, Elizabeth!" Sora hiccupped.

The Pirate king's cheeks glowed, "Thank you, Sora. And many congratulations to you and Riku as well."

"Thanksh!" Riku smiled, leaning heavily on Sora. "When are you due?"

"Not for a few more months," Elizabeth smiled. "Until then, I want to make sure my crew are prepared to carry on without me for a while. What about you two?"

Sora blinked, "Us?"

"Do you two plan on starting a family?" she asked.

"Pshhhhhhhhh," Riku cackled. "Sora can't even take care of the three he has! Or is it four?"

Sora sputtered and choked on his drink. "RIKU!"

Jack's eyes widened, "Three, you say? I didn't think you had it in you, mate!"

"That's cuz I don't! I mean I do, but I didn't!" Sora tried to explain but Riku was laughing over him.

"Hell yeah, you do," Riku whispered into his ear with a wide grin as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders, earning a swift elbow in the side.

"How old are they?" Elizabeth asked, now very intrigued.

"Depends on who you ask!" Riku laughed drunkenly, keeping Sora at bay with a hand on his face as the smaller teen attempted to throw punches to shut him up. "Think they're two and a half now?"

"All three?" Jack gasped. "You've been a busy boy, lad!"

"It's not like that! I swear!" Sora fumed.

"Two of them are twins!" Riku snickered.

"STOPPIT!" Sora shoved him away. "You're such a jerk!"

"You love me and you know it!" the silverette snickered before grabbing Sora again and giving him a sloppy yet apologetic kiss. Once Sora stopped fuming, he pulled away to look at Jack. "So that's it, then? We're officially married? Isn't there something else we have to do?"

"Well, there is the consummating part, I suppose!" Jack laughed.

"What's consummating?" Sora blinked.

Riku laughed, "It means we have to fu--" A cannon suddenly went off, drowning out Riku's drunken expletive, but Sora appeared to have heard him loud and clear.

"Oh! Well then let's get to it, then!" Sora cheered before jumping onto Riku who barely managed to catch Sora in his full-frontal assault. As Sora wrapped all four limbs around him and captured his mouth in a heavy kiss, Riku stumbled backwards towards the captain's quarters as he struggled to hold him up where Jack was waiting with the door held open for them before they tumbled out of sight.

The entire party erupted in uproariously laughter at the two as the captain slammed the door shut. "Time to disperse! Clear off, ye scallywags!" the captain shouted, shooing everybody off the ship so the two can finally be alone.

Sora and Riku paid no mind to the rumblings of feet outside as the music died down. They were too busy ridding each other of their clothes as they passionately kissed and clutched at each other. Hot hands roamed over flushed skin as they backed into the bed, Sora tumbling into it to pull Riku on top of himself. At some point, Sora ended up facedown with Riku behind him, tracing his calloused fingers over his scars, each star an ascent to heaven as Sora moaned beneath his touches.

"Permission to come aboard, captain?" Riku whispered into his ear.

"Nnnn...you already used that joke," Sora groaned.

"Fine, then I won't ask permission. Since I'm a pirate, I'll just plunder your booty," the older teen grinned as he pressed kisses into Sora's neck.

"Keep making those terrible puns and I'll make you walk the plank!"

"Promise?" Riku grinned lecherously as he ground his hips into Sora's backside.

"RIKU!"

"SORA!"

* * *

When the two woke up the next morning, both their lower backs hurt and the evidence of the previous night's activities was felt in their lower halves. The two groaned as they tried to ignore the throbbing in their heads, Riku stumbling out of bed first to grab a megapotion for both of them.

Sora looked down at his hand where the gold ring on his left hand was barely hanging onto his ring finger and with a smile, he moved it over to his thumb. Riku also looked at his and realized his was way too tight and struggled to remove it. He tried testing it on other fingers only to find it fit on his pinky. He drank the potion for both of them and once its effects settled in, it dawned on them what they had done.

"Riku...I uh..."

Riku smiled and moved to sit next to Sora on the bed who wrapped his arms around the taller teen's middle while he rested his head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Sora."

"Does this...does this count?"

"Hm...having regrets?"

Sora shook his head, his hair lightly tickling Riku. "No, I'm happy."

"I'm happy, too," Riku agreed as wrapped an arm around Sora and kissed the top of his head. "But I think we both deserve a wedding with our friends and family there. Don't you agree?"

The brunette blushed happily and looked up as he nodded. "Yeah, one day, when we're really ready. I'd like that."

"Yeah," Riku smiled before giving Sora a soft kiss. "But hey, that doesn't mean this was for nothing. I'll treasure this memory too...or at least what I can remember of it."

Sora laughed, "Me too."

Riku laughed as well but then glanced out the window to notice something was suspiciously missing from the dock. "Wait, where'd the Black Pearl go?"

Sora suddenly straightened up and took a look for himself. Outside, he could see other ships frantically getting ready to leave. "Wait...did Jack use us as a distraction to get away with the loot?"

"Stinking pirate!" Riku laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in the history of matelotages, please take a gander at [this page](https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/matelotage-0012504). It's very good!


	71. What?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What? That question's going to get asked a lot.

Somehow the two felt better after their trip to the Caribbean, or at least enough that they could set aside the feelings of dread for a little while longer. The two now had yet another happy memory and treasure to share. They've already figured out that their rings were probably switched incorrectly as Sora's would've been more appropriately-sized for Riku and Riku's would've definitely fit Sora better, but they decided not to switch. It gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "you're going to wear my ring". Plus it didn't seem right to wear them on their ring fingers, not yet. Maybe when they actually do get married they'll switch, who knows?

In the meantime, they obviously couldn't wear them around and they managed to not tell their parents about any of it. Sora kept the contract put away in their home and their rings sat amongst their other treasures when they couldn't wear them at school, such as their earrings, Riku's bracelet, and Sora's necklace.

Riku caught Sora looking at their contract and draped his arms around his shoulders to hold him close. "Maybe we should frame it," he suggested.

"That'd be cool!" Sora smiled broadly before carefully rolling it back up and placing it on the shelf next to their coming out album. "But maybe not quite yet. I like keeping it our little secret for a little while longer."

Riku smirked as he pressed a kiss to Sora's temple. "I think I do, too."

They had spoken to Wakka about the possibility that something might come up around the time of the tournament. Wakka was a little disappointed, but he was supportive and told them not to worry. If anything, Kairi was a little more upset and they couldn't blame her. After all, they kept so much from her. But then again, she did seem a little happier knowing that if something did happen, she'd be involved too and they wouldn't leave her behind. Knowing now that they were all on the same page made them all feel a little better but there was still that feeling of SOMETHING...something was going to happen soon.

So whenever they could, Sora and Riku spent more and more time at the treehouse, even bringing Kairi around for studying when she also didn't have writing club or volleyball practice. On one particular day, the boys didn't have any homework or blitzball practice to worry about so they devoted their free time to repotting all the herbs and plants that Sora had started...and there were a LOT. Once they were all planted in the ground with the other vegetables in the actual herb garden, they went up to the deck to take a nap. Both had their dirty shirts peeled off so they could snuggle up to each other without smelling too much like soil, not that Sora would've minded it, but Riku's head was resting on his chest so yeah. Meanwhile, Donut/Roxas the cat was also napping beside them in the shade of the tree's branches, a rare sight for the both of them.

The peaceful nap, however, was soon interrupted by the cawing of birds. Sora forced his eyes open to see a bunch of ravens squawking on the railing. He's HEARD ravens before but he's never seen this many up close. They seemed to be cawing for their attention specifically. He supposed that since they're living in a tree that they should be getting used to this sort of thing, but he's never seen these birds roost up here before so he gently shook Riku awake. "Riku, do you see this?"

"Hm?" Riku stirred and blinked at the birds on the railing. "Oh, what's up, guys?"

Sora tilted his head, "Wait, you know them?"

Riku sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Kind of? I usually only see them in the evening. I think they view the property as their territory. I remembered seeing my grandfather feed them as a kid so when I saw them in the evenings I'd feed them too while I worked on the place. They keep me company occasionally, but they look kind of riled up. I wonder why?"

The birds cawed even louder and hopped about before flying off. Riku hurried to stand up and lean over the railing to see what all the fuss was about to see even more of the black birds making a fuss near the wooded entrance to the property. It was then that they both heard the faraway sound of a small motor.

Sora sat up, "A visitor?"

"That shouldn't be possible," Riku tilted his mouth in a perturbed expression. "Whoever it is, the birds must not like them."

Next to Sora, Donut had stood up with his fur standing on end, hissing something fierce before yowling and slinking away. "Donut doesn't like them, either."

"Maybe you should stay up here, I'll check it out," Riku cautioned, his eyes turning a dangerous shade of dark green as he pulled his white shirt back over his head.

Sora was about to say something but then he heard the backfire of an engine that spooked the birds again. It sounded kind of familiar. "Wait, don't tell me!"

No sooner had those words left his mouth, they see Sora's uncle pull up in a beat-up acid-green vespa. The scooter billowed foul smoke and rattled so much that neither Sora nor Riku could comprehend how it made it through the barely-functionable road in one piece. In no time at all, Riku was down the tree to confront the man while Sora stayed up high to observe. Maybe Riku was right, if he pretended he wasn't here, maybe the vile man would go away sooner.

The man wasted no time in approaching Riku as soon as he dismounted his bike, to which Riku spared no polite greeting. "You're trespassing," he informed him harshly.

"I'm looking for my nephew," the man replied simply as he removed a twig from his hair.

"What makes you think he's here? How did you even find this place?" Riku asked with his arms crossed.

"Easy, I just followed the blonde kid."

 _Blonde kid?_ Sora looked around from the deck. Who could he have possibly meant? Any of the blondes he knew would've arrived by warp sphere, not by the dirt road.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior at the festival," his uncle continued.

Riku doesn't buy it for a second and he knows Sora doesn't either. Meanwhile, the ravens are getting more and more rowdy, as if they were familiar with this man. They circled above them and cawed up a storm, as if trying to warn Riku. He could already see Sora's uncle getting anxious and irritated with the persistent birds, his face turning into a scowl. Perhaps this wasn't the man's first visit to this area so he has a history with the flock but this is certainly the first time he's made it onto the property from what Riku can tell. "Why haven't you visited him at home?" Riku asked.

"He hasn't BEEN home. So naturally, I've been concerned about my dear nephew's whereabouts. I just want to make sure he's safe and not spending time with the wrong people," the man sneered. "And what's with these birds!?"

"Beats me," Riku frowned, not taking his eyes off of the man for a second.

 _More like he doesn't want to run into my parents._ Sora rolled his eyes. _I bet he's been spying on the blitzball practices too._ As he continued to crouch out of sight, he listened to his uncle ramble on and on to Riku while he scratched Donut underneath his chin. But said kitty seemed just as annoyed by the presence of the older man as Riku and Sora were and the ravens have yet to stop cawing as they remained perched on the railing as if heckling the man down below. Or maybe they were cheering Riku on. Frankly, Sora wouldn't have been surprised either way.

"Lovely place you got here. How much dough did your parents fork up to pay for this place?" the man asked.

Riku continued to give a dead stare. "Not a cent, not that it's any of your business. As I said, you're trespassing. Kindly exit my property and don't come back."

"Or what, boy? You expect me to believe a little brat like you paid for this land on your own?"

"Or I'll remove you myself," Riku took a step forward.

"JUST TRY IT!" the taller man spat. "I'm warning you! If you don't tell me where he is right now, I'll--"

"That's enough!" Sora leapt down from the top of the tree, a near four-story drop to land in front of his uncle, startling the man so much that he stumbled and fell on his backside.

Red-faced and beyond angry, Sora's uncle stood up and brushed himself off before directly looking at his nephew only to be startled yet again by his shirtless appearance. In fact, startled was an understatement. He went from red-faced to rather pale for a brief moment, the color draining from his face so quickly that Sora thought he might pass out. While the man gawked, Sora took the moment to get in between him and Riku. "Like Riku said, you don't have any right to be here. If you wanted to talk, you should've come by the house!"

"So it is true!" the man scoffed.

Sora tried not to let the confusion show on his face, but he didn't have to ask any questions for the man was already grinning like a cat who caught the canary.

"Got some friends down at the courthouse who said you two snatched up this pretty plot of land. So tell me, dear nephew. How'd you do it? Going around spending that inheritance of yours? Or does being the rich boy's main squeeze have its benefits after all?" he sneered.

"SHUT UP!" Sora shouted.

"No wait, don't tell me, did your parents get some big insurance payout over your injuries? Is that it?" he scowled while looking over the scars on Sora's chest. Sora was this close to decking him, his fists clenched at his sides, but for a split second, he swore he saw his uncle's expression soften before he quietly spoke, "I really thought your old man was bluffing."

Sora was a little taken aback. Was that regret? He almost sounded apologetic. He almost would've believed it if he hadn't had his feelings manipulated by him so many times in the past. "There is no money," he stated firmly. "It's all built out of recycled stuff as you can clearly see. Regardless, you still haven't said the real reason why you're here."

Suddenly the older man burst into a tirade of nonsense and it was Sora and Riku's turn to be startled, backing away a half-step as he ranted and raved about how he knows Sora has money, how he knows Sora is definitely not going to school, and how he doesn't deserve his inheritance. Sora couldn't even get a word in, not that there was much to say. What could he have said that hasn't been said a thousand times before? That the money would be wasted on his uncle? That is uncle needed REAL help? That the money is a small sum and would barely pay for half his tuition anyway and thus definitely not be enough to pay off his uncle's current debts like he hopes? His uncle wasn't wrong about him not pursuing further education. But who's to say it had to be used on himself?

"JUST STOP IT!" Sora finally shouted, taking another step forward to get up in his uncle's space. "Even if I don't plan to go to school, you're not touching one bit of that munny. Waste money on lawyers all you want. I DON'T CARE! If I don't use it, my own children will."

"YOUR children? HA! What are you gonna do? Adopt!? Nobody in their right mind would let a couple of fa--HEY!!!!" Before he could even finish spouting the expletive that made Riku's eyes flash an even angrier shade of green, the ravens heckling from the branches started swooping down and pecking at the man's head, which would have most certainly left him bloody had he not been wearing his hat. "FUCKING BIRDS!!" he screamed as he flailed and swat at them. Sora and Riku did nothing, only tried to contain their laughter as the black birds continued to harass the man until he had no choice but to mount his vespa and sped off back onto the dirt road, shouting curses the whole way.

"Friends at the courthouse, huh?" Riku smirked. "How is your uncle associated with so many people?"

Sora rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I guess it's easy to make friends when you have the reputation as the worst gambler on Destiny Islands."

Riku laughed again and gave Sora a peck on the cheek before he summoned his keyblade vehicle. "I'm going to check that he gets out of here somewhat safely and then check on the barrier to make sure he can't come back."

"Right," Sora laughed and gave a little wave before Riku sped off. As soon as he was out of sight he let out a big sigh. "I hope that's all he's actually doing," he chuckled.

"Sora."

The brunette nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his name and turned around to see Ven standing behind him. "Ven! What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's just...there was something I really needed to talk to you about in person. But I can't say it in front of Riku."

"Wait, why not?" Sora blinked. Something wasn't right here. Even the way Ven was standing seemed odd. Though he seemed to speak sincerely, there was a faraway look in his eyes; they just didn't have the sparkle they usually do.

"There's...something you should know, about the dream eater bond he shares with you," Ven continued. "He made me promise not to tell you, but I knew you'd want to know."

"What is it?" Sora tilted his head, now more than suspicious that this isn't actually Ven he's talking to. He just hopes that whatever's controlling Ven is falling for the act that _he's_ putting on.

"Well, as your dream eater, if something were to happen to you...Riku would perish as well," he answered solemnly.

Sora let out a small gasp, his eyes widening at the thought. He hadn't allowed himself to think that deeply about their connection or how it could possibly be a detriment to Riku. But why would the Darkness inhabiting Ven feel the need to tell him this information? Unless... "That's...that's terrible. Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"There is one thing. Chirithy says that you can break the bond by dismissing him like you would with any of your other dream eaters. He wouldn't be able to dive into your nightmares anymore, but he'd be free from sharing your fate should the worst happen. I know you wouldn't want that for him, right?" Ven asked in a rather poor show of sincerity.

"But...that would hurt him so much...How could I do that to him?"

"I know it would be hard," Ven said as he took a step forward and pulled Sora into a hug. "But you need to think about what's fair for both of you, right? Just please...don't tell him I told you."

The hug felt stiff...and cold. Sora did his best to reciprocate so the Darkness controlling Ven would be none the wiser, wrapping his arms around him and resting his chin on his shoulder while biting his lower lip before answering in a shaky voice. "You're right. I'm glad you told me. I'll...I'll probably do it soon."

"Good. That'd be for the best, I would think. You're making a very brave decision," Ven assured him before pulling him away. "Besides, you have plenty of other dream eaters, right? Riku deserves a break."

Sora pulled a wide, fake smile. "Yeah, you're right!" he chuckled just as they heard Riku's motorcycle revving as the teen made to turn back around.

"Well, I should get going. Good luck, Sora!" Ven waved before flying off on his keyblade glider.

Sora waved until he could no longer see Ven, his smile instantly falling once he was out of sight.

Riku had followed Sora's uncle all the way to the main road, the ornery man cursing the entire way as if he thought Riku was chasing him down rather than escorting him out. Once he was past the barrier, Riku gave it a few taps with his keyblade to make sure it was working as it should. But no sooner had he done so, he caught a whiff of something...of lingering darkness. "This scent...I know I've smelled it before. I think...in the Land of Departure?" His eyes widened and he hurried to summon his keyblade vehicle again, speeding off as fast as he could back to Sora.

Before he even breached the thicket, he could hear the sound of another keyblade vehicle taking off. By the time he returned, Sora was staring up at the sky, looking thoughtful. "Sora!" he called out to get the brunette's attention as he dismissed his keyblade. "Did something happen?"

Sora looked to Riku. "Ven was here...or rather...Darkness possessing Ven," he explained.

"Wait, he was? And he just left?" The silverette placed a hand on Sora's shoulder as he looked him up and down to make sure that Darkness didn't try anything but he saw no outward signs that Sora was hurt.

Sora put his hand over Riku's to reassure him. "He told me about the dream eater connection...and what it could do to you."

Riku's blood ran cold. Was Sora mad at him? "Sora...I was going to tell you--"

Sora put a finger up to shush him. "It's okay. I know you have a good reason. You wanted to see if he would try anything, right?"

"Uh..." the elder teen blinked, unsure of what Sora was getting at, but if there was an out, he's going to take it.

"Well, it worked!" the brunette praised. "If Darkness is soooo concerned about our connection, that means there's something about it he fears, right? A weakness!"

A lightbulb went off in Riku's head. Sora was onto something! "You don't think it's afraid of--"

"Our combined keyblade!" Sora gave a tiny little bunny hop. "If we were to put an end to our connection, I'm not so sure we'd be able to summon it at all. THAT'S why he was so insistent that it be done. He must've heard you and Chirithy talking and got too excited. His acting was terrible."

"So...that's it, then? You think we have our answer? Now what?" Riku asked excitedly, almost getting carried away.

"I-I dunno. I told it that I was toooooootally gonna break our connection when I got the chance. I think he bought it. So that could mean it's going to act out soon or..."

"Or maybe it will stay put a while longer now that it thinks it's safe?" the other teen finished. "Either way...we should inform Master Yen Sid about what we know."

"Right!" Sora breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I was so scared when I saw Ven but now I feel so relieved. We actually have a good lead on something. If our keyblade is really all we need, none of our other friends have to get hurt!"

"Yeah!" Riku chuckled in relief as well. "I know just what you mean. It's like a big weight has been lifted off. But we can't let ourselves get cocky."

"Nope. If anything, you have to pretend to be cranky now whenever you're around Ven so that Darkness thinks we actually severed our connection," Sora pointed out.

"Act cranky, huh? Shouldn't be too hard," Riku grinned.


	72. CHRISTMAS #1!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time jump! A little snippet of Sora and Riku's first Christmas while officially living in their new home!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I couldn't resist. This little snippet takes place after they've both graduated high school and are officially living together. I hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday season! <3

It was their first Christmas together while living in their new home and Sora wanted it to be perfect!

He used his magic to decorate the entire tree with sparkling lights that Riku thought made it look like a parade float at Disney Town, not that it was a bad thing. He was just glad their place was invisible to most people otherwise they probably would've lit up half the island. But Sora didn't stop there, either. Every palm tree on their portion of the beach was also decorated with lights and baubles and even the tiny paopu tree on their deck had a tiny string of fairy lights wrapped around it. Said tree, Riku decided to bring inside because it was uncharacteristically cold, even for this time of the year.

Living so close to the beach, it was only natural to expect it to be colder than other parts of the island as you should expect to bear the brunt of the chilly sea breeze. But even still, it was cold enough to bring out the space heater in the living room, a safe distance away from their plastic Christmas tree, of course. Said tree, Sora and Riku decorated with pretty synthesis materials, keychains, baubles they made themselves in Christmas Town, and other things they brought with them from home when they moved out. Sora's mother even clay-crafted an ornament of their house that said "First Christmas" on it with a little shooting star in the background.

But it wasn't just the tree that got the bauble treatment. The stairway railing even got wrapped in garland and ribbon. Glittering beads dripped over every shelf. Stockings with their names on them hung on the wall next to the tree. Even on the coffee table, the snow globe that Sora made for Riku for their first Christmas as boyfriends rested center stage. In the comfy, over-stuffed chair sat the fuzzy baby penguin that Riku had given Sora for that same Christmas. Everywhere Riku looked felt Christmas-y for sure but he also couldn't help wondering how long Sora was going to leave this up for, as he had a feeling that as enthusiastic as the brunette was about putting it up, the same enthusiasm wouldn't be present when it was time to take it down.

In the kitchen, Sora was busy working on a Christmas goose, babying it as he checked on it in the oven practically every ten minutes. From the living room, Riku chuckled to himself as he listened to Sora fret and talk to the goose as if that would make anything better while he lounged on their sofa with a book. The both of them were dressed in their sweaters from Christmas Town along with matching gray sweatpants and fuzzy blue slippers, a gift from Riku's mom. After hearing the oven close for the tenth time, Riku looked up from his book. "Soraaaaaaaaa," he called out. "That bird will never cook if you keep opening the oven!"

Sora poked his head out of the kitchen with a frown. "What do YOU know? I'm trying to make sure it stays moist!"

"You've practically BURIED it in gravy, I'm sure it's going to be fine. Now get your butt in here and help me keep warm!" Riku ushered him over with his hand.

"You're STILL cold?" Sora eyed him suspiciously. "You're next to the heater and everything!"

"Still cold," Riku insisted with a huff, setting his book aside to make grabby hands for Sora.

The brunette rolled his eyes playfully and peeled off his apron to enter the grabby hands. After all, he couldn't resist Riku, even though he already felt like he was boiling from being in the kitchen. "So hot, though," he muttered into the other's chest as Riku pulled him close.

"I know you are, but what am I?" Riku snickered.

Sora couldn't help laughing. "Have you gotten into the mulled wine already? I was saving that for dinner!"

"Maaaaaaaaybe~" the silverette sing-songed. The cat was out of the bag now. He had snuck a mug of the hot wine while Sora was fussing over the goose for the billionth time. "But I only had a little bit, I swear."

"Uh-huuuuuuuuh," Sora glanced at the other's cyan eyes before leaning in for a kiss where he could still taste the mulled wine on the other's lips. "Mmm...just a little, huh?"

"Just a little," Riku promised before resuming the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too, even if you are a sneak," the brunette grinned.


	73. Overcast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a weird feeling in the air, insinuating the presence of darkness, as Sora and Riku's happiness suddenly seems to be attracting more negativity than usual and spreading like a virus. It's not enough to be noticeable, but it's there and it's brief, like a short moment of overcast on an otherwise sunny day.

The two were cheerful at school. Maybe a little too cheerful. Tidus kept grinning at Sora like he knew something the brunette didn't. Riku was even getting looks from Wakka. He didn't quite understand what the grinning was about until Wakka leaned in and asked "Guess the honeymoon's back on, ya?" a question that nearly made Riku fall out of his chair.

He spun around so hard in his seat he heard his back pop. "What do you mean by that?" he hissed.

The other teen snickered, at least having the decency to keep his voice down while their other classmates chattered loudly amongst themselves. "It's nothing, mon. Just noticed you were quite cheerful for the past couple of weeks and then you got all grumpy again. Now you have a smile on your face again."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Riku huffed.

"Oh reeeally? When the girls said good morning to you, you actually said good morning back instead of nodding, you were doodling in the notes I asked to borrow from you, and you were more gushy with Sora than usual, ya? When you started looking surly again, I thought you two had a fight," Wakka explained.

Riku frowned and rested his chin on his hand, only muttering, "Hope the rest of the class isn't as observant as you."

By the time morning classes finished, both teens would agree that there was a weird feeling in the air. Even Kairi seemed to notice as in the halls, outside of class, they seemed to attract a little more negativity than usual. Mumblings were heard. Disapproving looks were exchanged. It was a like a slightly overcast day; just a brief, unusual chill that none of them could put their finger on. It wasn't prevalent enough to make them worry, but just enough to feel slightly unsettled.

But even still, Sora and Riku couldn't shake off the cheer they still felt, having now taken their relationship to the next level, their new home being finished, now pirate-married, potentially found their foe's big weakness; everything still felt like it was going their way. So what was a few lingering stares and off-color remarks? Nothing, that's what. That is, until lunch time.

Kairi had lunch plans with Selphie, so it was just Riku and Sora under their favorite tree. Sora had made Riku lunch this time and was watching him eat it, eager to see the look of enjoyment on his face. Riku, as much as he was enjoying the food, was blushing slightly at the attention Sora was giving him. "Eat your lunch," he playfully scolded.

"Hmmm, but it's so much fun watching you eat yours," Sora retorted as he unwrapped his bento.

"Oh really?" Riku smiled fondly as he watched him. "And why's that?"

It was now Sora's turn to blush a little as he fumbled with his chopsticks. "Well, it makes me happy seeing you enjoy something I made...I guess...I dunno," he stammered.

Riku's smile widened. "You're so cute."

Before Sora could open his mouth to retort, a shadow loomed over both of them, causing them to look up. It was Riku's science teacher, a sweet and dedicated woman that Riku actually liked, but never really spoke casually to before.

"Good afternoon, you two," she greeted.

"Good afternoon," they both automatically responded.

"Sora! I just wanted to let you know that the staff has noticed how much you've improved since you've gotten back and I must say, we're all very impressed!" she smiled warmly.

"W-wow, thank you, sensei. That really means a lot!" Sora smiled bashfully with Riku smiling proudly smiling beside him.

"And your performance as Cinderella was magnificent!" she clasped her hands together cheerfully. "I had never laughed and cried so much during one performance before. It really was something!"

"Aw, sensei, it wasn't all that!" Sora replied humbly, face glowing all the more redder. She went on about other things, not even letting Sora get a word in until suddenly her tone changed ever so slightly and it made both of them steel themselves. Something didn't feel right.

"I'm really looking forward to having you in my class next year. But I heard from your teacher that you didn't have a lot written in your future plans survey. Why is that, if I may ask?"

Riku looked down at his half-eaten lunch. Since the end of the semester is only a few short months away, they've all had to fill out surveys for what they planned to do once they graduate. There's a little more emphasis put on it for seniors like himself but for juniors like Sora, it helps the teachers turn them towards their focus to help prepare them. Riku put down travel for his, but once that started raising too many questions, he lied and put down "help with the family business" so they'd stop pestering him. He assumed Sora would have done the same thing, unless...he copied what Riku put down for his.

"Well, I..." Sora stumbled as he helplessly smiled up at the teacher. "I uh...I learned a lot while traveling. I think I'd like to do it some more once I graduate high school."

Riku inwardly winced. _So he DID write the same thing._

"That's the same thing Riku wrote before he changed his, if I'm not mistaken," the teacher continued to smile, but this time it seemed more forced.

"Eh-heh-heh," Sora could only nervously chuckle.

"Sora, wouldn't you like to have a family of your own one day?"

Both teens were taken aback by the question but only Sora could bring himself to make a noise that barely resembled a word, "Wuh?"

"You two are both so talented. We already know Riku is going to go far and I know you admire him a lot. But if you keep following around in his footsteps, people are going to get the wrong idea," she explained in a soft and patronizing voice.

Sora swallowed hard. "Wrong idea?"

"You two are so affectionate when you're around each other. And it's cute, but it might hurt your chances of finding a girlfriend after you graduate. Even if you're not planning on going to college, wouldn't you like to settle down, Sora?"

Sora tries to hide the hurt in his voice as he holds his still uneaten food, hands trembling ever so slightly as he tried to force a polite smile, "I would LIKE to eat my lunch."

"Of course, forgive me for interrupting," she smiled again. This time neither teen could bring themselves to smile back. "Enjoy the rest of your lunch. See you in class, Riku!" she waved before leaving them alone once more.

Once she's out of sight, Riku reaches over and squeezes Sora's shaking hand. "Try not to let it get to you. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm," he assured him gently.

The brunette squeezes his warm hand back before letting it go to get back to eating. "I know...I know..." he grumbles before stuffing large bites into his face angrily. "I don't care what she thinks. I don't care what any of them think." 

Riku can see him eyeing everybody in the school yard as he says it as if daring any more to say anything. Truth be told, he couldn't blame him for being angry. He himself just saw a side of his teacher that he didn't expect. It was like Sora was being scolded for having a baby crush or something right in front of him. What right did he really have to tell Sora not to be angry when he himself was seething?

The two were in a sour mood for the rest of the day, but they were cheered up by the time they finished blitz ball practice. They both had a good time and Sora even scored two goals! Riku successfully guarded him against the practice team each time they launched an attack and they even got to try out a couple of signature moves they came up with for the upcoming tournament. Afterwards, however, there seemed to be an unease amongst the girls who had come to watch the practice and who also served as unofficial practice security. One of them told Wakka that they saw a group of boys hanging around the beach that she didn't recognize but they were wearing DI High uniforms. She was only a freshman so the most she and her friend could tell Wakka was that they appeared to be juniors or seniors. Even so, if they were from DI High, Wakka decided they couldn't be much of a reason to worry. "Maybe they were just bored!" he reasoned.

Regardless, once Riku and Sora overheard this, they kept pretty close to themselves on the way home, that is until Riku remembered he needed to pick up more disposable lenses from the pharmacy.

"You go on ahead, I'll grab us some ice cream at Freezy Timmy's!" Sora offered.

"Alright, but just get me lemonade this time," Riku warned with a wary smirk.

"What, don't you trust me?" the brunette grinned cheekily.

"Not as far as I can throw you," the silverette joked before kissing Sora on the tip of his nose. "I'll be right back," he assured him before quickly running off, leaving Sora all giddy again.

The line at Freezy Timmy's wasn't nearly as long as it usually is. Maybe it's because practice ran late. But they were out of lemonade, so Sora went down their usual list of favorites, only for all of them to be sold out. So he paid for two of the mystery flavor of the day, looking slightly hopeful when they appeared to be a light blue color. "Hope it's sea salt," he grinned cheerfully as he exited the store with the two popsicles in a bag. He then texted Riku as he didn't expect to be out of line so quickly.

Sora: U still at the pharmacy?  
Riku: Yeah there's a line :\  
Sora: I got the ice cream. I'll meet you there.  
Riku: Lemonade?  
Sora: Mystery  
Riku: :P  
Sora: It was all they had!  
Riku: What color?

Just as Sora was about to type blue, he realized he was being followed down the alley way he had taken as a shortcut. Casually sliding his gummi phone into his pocket, he stopped and turned around to see somebody from the track team that he knew all too well at this point as well as a boy he wasn't familiar with. But he knew enough that they were both in the same grade he was. When he stopped, they stopped. He frowned and the one from the track team gave him an impish grin. His first instinct was to run as he always had, but he was already in a good mood and not up for the games. The other one sort of just hung back and looked like he had no idea why they were even there. It made Sora relax a little. Maybe for once he could actually try talking since it wasn't three on one this time. After all, he didn't want to think that anybody on Destiny Islands was inherently bad; maybe misguided at most. If he's here to harass him about joining the track team, maybe he can tell him that the track coach has actually lost interest. But something told him this wasn't about the track team as he walked closer and closer until he was within arm's reach of Sora.

"Can I help you?" Sora asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. I've got a bone to pick with you, you little trap," the track team member sneered.

"Trap? What do you mean by that?" Sora asked as the other got all up in his personal space, backing him against the wall. He was so close he caught a whiff of the other's body odor. _Does he mean tramp? Either way, I don't understand._

"Don't play dumb with me. Is that why you insisted on not joining the track team? You like checking guys out in the locker room and you didn't want to get caught? Everybody knows about you and Riku, you know."

Sora glanced at his friend standing behind him who looked just as puzzled about this line of questioning as he was. There was a LOT to unpack in this question...or rather accusation. He stood up straighter and took a step forward so that the other was forced to step back. "Look, just because I'm in love with a man doesn't mean I check out people in locker rooms. First of all, that's rude! Only a sleaze would do something like that. That's no different from guys who try to sneak into the girls' locker rooms!"

The friend who tagged along let out a huge snort while the one on the track team suddenly got red in the face. Clearly Sora had struck a nerve because he had a very clumsy comeback. "So what, you're saying none of them are good enough for ya?"

Sora blinked rapidly as he did the mental gymnastics required to keep up with the other's stupidity. "Wha--? I just said anybody who checks out people unsolicited in locker rooms is sleazy. That has nothing to do with whether or not I find them attractive. And even if that were the case...I mean...have you SEEN Riku?" he grinned unabashedly.

Once again, his friend was the one who busted out laughing. "He's got you there, man!"

"Hey, shut up! What do YOU know?" the track runner shouted at his companion.

"Oh come on, like YOU don't know? All the girls like Riku!" the other teen explained. "And he's pretty cool, too. He lent me money once."

"Aw~" Sora tilted his head and smiled at the other.

"Shut up! You're supposed to be on my side, here!"

"I'm on nobody's side, dude. You said "Watch this" and made me follow you back here. I didn't know you were going to rough up Riku's boyfriend! He'll kick your ass! And not even just that. You know Sora can kick your ass, too. I heard he threw the coach like he was nothing! That was you, wasn't it?" he looked to Sora.

"Yeah, that was me," Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"No way in hell is that true!" the bully shouted. "All this little piss ant does is run away whenever _I_ see him!"

"Hey, I never claimed to be a pacifist," the brunette shrugged. "But look, guys, I don't want to fight. I mean if you have questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them. I don't see any reason why we can't get along or just go our separate ways and pretend this bizarre conversation never happened."

Before the other could even open his mouth, the track member shouted, "SHUT UP! You're not getting out of this!"

"Getting out of what, exactly?" Sora demanded coldly.

"You think you can get up there and parade around like you're all that and then pretend you're just like the rest of us?" he spat as he suddenly shoved Sora back against the wall, startling Sora into dropping the bag of ice cream onto the ground. "If you like sucking dick so much, how about giving mine a try?"

"Break a couple of ribs and you'll be able to do it yourself. How about we give THAT a try?" Riku's voice rang out from behind them, startling the crap out of both teens.

"R-Riku!" the bully's companion put his hands up. "Look, man, I didn't know this guy was going to start something, I swear."

"Just get out of here," Riku commanded in a voice that could freeze Hell itself. It was a command that the teen was more than happy to obey as he completely left the track bully in his dust. After that, the bully was left to stare off against Riku all on his own.

Sora cleared his throat as he could see the sparks of hate beginning to fly. "Ahem. This is the part where you run away," he whispered behind his hand.

"SHUT UP YOU LITTLE FA--"

"YOU KNOW WHAT?" Riku shouted over the teen before he could finish that expletive. "That was rather rude of me. This is your fight, isn't it, Sora?" he grinned coyly at the brunette.

"Why thank you, Riku," Sora grinned back as he dropped his school bag and began cracking his knuckles. "But I don't mind sharing this one, if you want~"

The bully backed up, sweat dropping down the side of his face as he sized the other two up while they leered at him with threatening looks. Two on one was NOT a fight he wanted to get into. "Fuck the both of you! You won't hear the end of this!" he shouted before turning heel and running for it.

Once he was out of sight and they could no longer hear his frantic footsteps on the cobblestones, Sora rolled his eyes and reached back down to grab his school bag and the dropped ice cream.

"Are you alright?" Riku asked quietly.

"I'm fine, he just shoved me, that's all," Sora huffed.

"No, that's not what I meant..." Riku explained softly as he reached for Sora's hand. "I mean...are you okay?"

Sora looked up into his concerned gaze and smiled gently before standing on his toes to give him an affectionate kiss on the end of his nose. "I'll be fine. Let's enjoy our ice cream before it melts." He opened up the bag so Riku could grab his. Thankfully, neither popsicle shattered when they hit the ground.

"Assuming we like the mystery flavor," Riku snorted before reaching in and grabbing his.

Together they walked home, unwrapping and enjoying their cold treats along the way.

They were fruit punch-flavored.


	74. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little peak into what the Twilight Town gang is up to.

Twilight Town was just as quiet and sleepy as ever and it wasn't much different in the outskirts of town either, where the so-called abandoned mansion resides. Of course, everybody now knows it's not abandoned anymore, but some would say its occupants were as mysterious as the mansion itself.

You could say there were a new seven wonders of Twilight Town: the mansion and its six residents; a reputation that Axel relished in. As he became more and more accustomed to social media, the fiery redhead reveled in the small following he was gaining on Kingstagram as well as MoogTube, his vlogs with his blue-haired husband gaining more and more traction by the day! He's tried involving the others, but with Vanitas now practically part of the family, it didn't seem fair to include them only to exclude him because Ventus might see. So Isa's really the only one he ropes into his videos, which mostly consist of food and shopping.

As for Isa feels about the whole thing, he's not surprised in the least. Lea has always been concerned about people remembering him for as long as he's known him, so this is just one more step towards his husband's quest for immortality. But as far as being personally involved in this endeavor, it annoyed him at first, to be sure. But as time went on, he couldn't help being enamored knowing that his husband just wants him to be included too, as he sees him as an important part of his life that he also wants immortalized. Thus, he went along with it. Plus it was funny reading the comments on every video and seeing how much Lea's audience begged for Isa whenever he happened to not be in a video. Seems everybody thinks he's Lea's perfect foil, and they'd be right.

Plus, it was nice to see Lea having something new to focus on. He's never known the redhead to sit still for too long and although looking after the other four has kept them both busy, he's seen that wistful look on his face that before would've concerned him. Such as tonight in the library. He had brought Lea a cup of tea while he used the family computer in the library to edit a new video and noticed he had stopped and stared for several long moments. But when he set the cup down and began to walk away, Lea suddenly grabbed his hand. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" the redhead grinned.

"You looked busy," Isa simply replied as he let Lea pull him down to sit him in his lap.

"Stay for a bit," he demanded, wrapping his arms around his thin waist to pull him into a more comfortable sideways position across his thighs.

"If you insist," the other man smirked while he spoke in a voice that sounded like he was only slightly inconvenienced. He wrapped a heavy arm around Lea's shoulders and let the man rest his head against his chest so that he could stroke his fingers through his long fiery locks.

"Do you ever think that maybe she can see these?" Lea asked.

Isa said nothing for there were no right words to say, nor did he let up on his soothing touches as he felt Lea lean further and further into him while the soft sounds of Roxas practicing the piano in the next room over filled the silence.

"I hope wherever she is that she doesn't think we've forgotten her," he continued to sigh.

Roxas's fingers thrummed gently over the keys of his electric keyboard while Xion lounged on his bed with a book. Both were dressed for bed and wrapped up in the cozy bathrobes that Isa had gifted them the previous Christmas, black and white checkered for Roxas and black with white stars for Xion. The curtains had yet been drawn for bedtime as Roxas wanted to get in a little more practice before bed, his mind adrift as his fingers danced across the keys. He wasn't playing anything in particular, just letting the music express what his heart was feeling right this moment, his eyes closed as he tried to figure it out. He didn't open them until he felt Xion's arms drape over his shoulders in a loose hug and even then he didn't stop.

"It sounds so sad..." she commented in a voice that could've easily been mistaken for a whimper.

"Does it?" Roxas smiled softly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she smiled gently as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

As she nestled into him, Roxas felt his heart fluttering and his fingers on the keys demonstrated as such as the tune changed to that of which might make one imagine butterflies flying over a flower field.

"I see you've...changed your tune," Xion giggled before leaning to press a kiss to the blonde's cheek.

Roxas reddened considerably, his robe now feeling way too warm. "You're a tease," he joked.

"I know, but you love me anyway," she giggled.

"Yeah..." he smiled.

Outside, the other two residents of the Twilight Mansion household were lying in opposite directions on the grass while they cloud gazed, their heads resting beside each other while they murmured and debated over the shapes they observed. Hanging out with Naminé like this was one of Vanitas's favorite things to do, especially if they could hear Roxas practicing. There was just something about the way he could hear Naminé softly breathing next to him and the way her laugh seems to perfectly compliment the gentle sounds of the piano that made him feel so relaxed. Half the time his eyes would drift closed and he would just lay there and listen to all of it and nod along in agreement with whatever Naminé was saying. After all, the clouds weren't really what interested him.

"Vani..."

"Hm?"

"Are you getting sleepy?"

He opened his eyes and turned his head to see her studying his face. "No," he assured her as he reached a hand to brush a stray hair off of cheek. "Are you?"

"No," she smiled. Truth be told, she wouldn't have minded if Vanitas had fallen asleep. But she wanted to look at his eyes. Though his striking golden pupils were often perceived to be fierce, Naminé liked them very much. To her, they reminded her of a color she might have used to depict a summer sun in her drawings; brilliant and bright. She felt her cheeks flush ever so slightly as the barest tip of his finger brushed her cheek. His hands felt so warm these days, as did his rare smiles.

But something was off about today and they both knew it.

"You feel it too, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes," she swallowed hard and nodded solemnly. "But what can we do?"

He reached for her hand and she gave it. He clutched it gently, his thumb tracing lightly over hers as they both stared back at the sky.

"We wait."


	75. Impact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku are attacked on the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So trigger warning, there is blood and violence in this chapter. I've kept it short so that you can skip this chapter if you want. The important stuff will be summarized in the next chapter so you won't miss anything should you choose to skip.

"Sora, you've barely touched your breakfast!"

"Huh?" Sora looked up from the plate he had been poking at for the past five minutes to see his mother hovering over him with her fists on her hips. "Uh, sorry!" he hurried to shovel more scrambled eggs in his mouth that had more than gone cold at this point. But it didn't really matter. He felt like he could barely taste anything anyway. Ever since yesterday he felt a little down in the dumps. Worry flip-flopped in his gut like a shadow heartless on a trampoline. He just couldn't shake off what that teacher had said to him. Was it a warning or an actual expression of concern? Riku said not to worry about it but something felt off about the whole thing. And then there was that encounter with the bully whom he hadn't even seen in weeks!

His mom slid a lunch across the table she made for him but before he could even say thank you with a mouth full of bacon she asked, "Something wrong, sweetie?"

He swallowed hard and took his sweet time grabbing a sip of orange juice before he answered, anything to give him time to think of a good lie. After all, he didn't want to worry her. "Just that...um...mother's...day?"

She raised an eyebrow really high, "What about it?"

"I can't...think of what to get you!" he grinned sheepishly. "And I feel terrible about it."

She didn't look like she bought it for a second, crossing her arms and eyeing him in a stare off. Sora must've won because her expression softened before she giggled merrily. "You silly boy," she laughed before ruffling his hair. "Are you really trying to ask what I would like for mother's day?"

Sora nodded dumbly and flashed a white smile.

"Wellllllllllllllllll~" she tilted her head in thought. "I haven't had a spa day in a while!"

"Ooh! Let's do that, then! Riku and I will get you two a spa day! Perfect! Phew, I'm glad we had this talk!" Sora laughed and awkwardly stood to give her a peck on the cheek before grabbing his lunch and stuffing it in his back. "I'll see you after practice, mom. Have a good day. Love you!" he said in a rush before zipping out the door before she could drill him any further.

He hurried to Riku's place, checking that the car wasn't in the driveway before letting himself inside where he found Riku halfway through putting his shoes on. "Morning!" he greeted, already feeling a hundred times better now that he's next to Riku again. Before the silverette could even say good morning back, Sora stepped onto the the elevated step of the entry way so that he was level with Riku and planted a big wet one on him, hands settling on Riku's hips where he thumbed the surprised teen's hip bones while Riku's hands wrapped around his own waist and settled in the small of his back. "Mmmm~" he hummed happily until he pulled away at last but kept his forehead resting against Riku's. "I missed you."

"I can see that," Riku chuckled softly as he affectionately nuzzled the tip of his nose against Sora's. "What's up?"

Sora sighed happily as the other's warm breath cascaded across his face. "Nothing...just...let's play hooky today," he pleaded quietly before attempting to entice him with another kiss. He loved kissing Riku in the entryway in the mornings. The added height was nice, yes, but there was something else, too. There was still a sense of secrecy as they kissed as they're so close to the windows. Plus the rising sun illuminated the entry way in a warm golden glow that lit the dust particles in the air just-so that made it feel magical when he looked at Riku. Especially if he caught him early enough before he put his contacts in so his eyes were that serene blue he loved so much. And even when they were inside and knew they were out of sight, they spoke in hushed voices as they held each other close in the narrow space. It was definitely in his top five making out spots and he didn't care how silly it sounded.

Riku moaned softly as Sora's tongue traced over his lips and he parted them to let him in so that they could meet. Their tongues touched tentatively before entangling in a slow dance, all the while, Sora leaned even closer into him. As much as he enjoyed indulging in the sweet taste of Sora, he knew this was coming from somewhere else and broke the kiss but kept their faces close as he rubbed lazy circles into Sora's lower back with his fingers. "Are you still upset about yesterday?" he asked softly. He didn't want to make it sound like he was teasing him. Maybe years back he would've taunted Sora for being scared of a couple of bullies and told him he was tougher than that. But he knew Sora wasn't scared. This was something else.

Sora pouted. Clearly he wasn't going to convince Riku to go along with his whims today. But what could he say? That he had a bad feeling? It was cowardly, he knew. After all, he was the one who told Riku he wanted to be more open about their relationship, that he didn't want to hide anymore. He knew there would be consequences and he was more than happy to accept them. So what changed? He doesn't THINK that's changed, but why does he have this feeling? As his brow furrowed, Riku kissed the corner of his lips and he couldn't help smiling before returning the chaste kiss. He decided it doesn't matter. He has Riku. Together they can take on anything. His resolve strengthened he straightened up and gave Riku another kiss before pulling away. "No, I'm fine. I was just joking. By the way, we're both buying spa days for our moms for Mother's Day now," he informed him.

* * *

Blitzball practice ran late, the sky orange and streaked with pink as the two walked towards Sora's place. The two were really tired as the team ran extra drills today. Even their "cheerleaders" seemed exhausted on their behalf. In fact, two of the underclassmen who watched their practices were walking a little bit ahead of them on their way home, chatting amongst themselves about how excited they were about the upcoming tournament. It made Sora and Riku smile to hear it. They hadn't given much thought as to how their playing actually served as excitement for other people. It was humbling and gratifying.

Together the teens walked, their hands clasped between themselves as they walked in silence, both sore beyond belief and just happy listening to the trails of enthusiastic banter between the girls only a few steps ahead of them with soft smiles on their faces. 

Suddenly a rock whizzes past Riku's ear with a shrill whistle that stops the teen dead in his tracks. Sora must've felt it whiz by too because both automatically take a defensive stance and make to turn around only to be assaulted with MORE rocks. The two of them use their school bags to deflect them, swatting away at them with dead accuracy while insuring the rocks fall somewhere where they can't hurt anybody else. The girls ahead of them scream as they heard stray rocks slam into the mailbox in front of them and duck behind a fence for cover. Before they knew it, rocks seemed to be coming from all directions, not just from behind them. These weren't being thrown, either. With every rock, Riku heard a resounding SNAP just before the rocks made contact with his school bag.

"Sling shots?!" Sora asked as he swung his bag to deflect another one. "CUT IT OUT! You're going to hurt somebody!" he shouted.

"You're not even hitting them!" a voice scolded from somewhere down the block.  
"Neither are you, asshole!"  
"Just keep going!"  
"How are they blocking all of them!?"

"This is getting out of hand," Riku huffed as he blocked another incoming rock from the left. "I can't even see where they're coming from!"

"This is so stupid!" Sora shouted with frustration as his bag got pelted with more rocks. This was beyond ridiculous. Two keyblade masters getting assaulted with rocks on their way home with school. It was laughable! But what could they do? They couldn't summon their keyblades! They were already drawing too much attention! "If you got a problem, come say it to our faces!"

Suddenly there was a shattering of glass that drew both their attention, followed by a scream from Sora's mom!

"Mom!?" Sora turned to see a rogue rock had gone through one of the front windows of his house. But just as he was about to run in and investigate, another much larger rock struck him in the back of the head!

"SORA!" Riku cried out as he watched the heavy rock make contact. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he heard the rock make contact with Sora's skull with a sickening CRACK. Blood spurted out from the wound and Sora fell to the ground HARD. "SORA!"

The girls who had taken cover nearby screamed as they watched Sora go down. One of them already had the police on the phone as they had called as soon as the attack had started. Riku could hear the police sirens in the distance and Sora's mother screaming as she burst out the front door but it all sounded so far away as he scooped Sora up in his arms and cast a cure spell, not caring who saw. But even then, the wound would not close and Sora continued to bleed from his head. His vision went blurry until he couldn't hear anything at all, not even when Sora's mother yelled at him to hand him over until she got frustrated enough to yank Sora away from him to put a towel over the wound and cradled his head in her lap.

A police car pulled up behind him and he could hear the sounds of an ambulance on their way. His head was swimming as he became overwhelmed by all the noise and all the voices asking him what the heck was going on while Sora's mother cried. He averted his eyes towards the ground The rock that hit Sora is still there, large and sharp with specks of black glinting in the setting sun next to drops of Sora's that have now stained the sidewalk. The color bled through his vision until all he could see was red.

Someone had to pay.

Before anybody could protest, Riku was off like a rocket, a mere blur as he ran down the street, dashing for the bushes he knew the rocks were coming from. So fast was he that he quickly caught up to the three culprits. One by one he grabbed them and threw them HARD to the ground as they tried to escape, throwing them in a pile before they even knew what hit them. Once he had piled all three of them, he grabbed each of them by their collars and started pummeling them mercilessly with his fists. If one dared to try and get away, he threw the first to the ground and grabbed the other. None of them were safe from his wrath! Over and over his fists struck their faces, their teeth grazing and cutting his knuckles but he didn't care! Only when they started begging for mercy did he finally allow himself to recognize their faces. The tallest one was the captain of the track team, the one who tried to get a photo with Sora when he was dressed as Cinderella. The other was the bully from yesterday who he now recognized as the one who eyeballed Sora during play practice. Both had bullied Sora even before that. But the third one he only recognized as the pitcher from the baseball team.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU DID IT!?" he snarled as he prepared to lay another punch into the black and blue face of the track captain. "WHICH ONE HIT SORA?"

The other track bully was the one to give it away, feebly pointing to the pitcher. It made sense but it also didn't. He dropped the captain and grabbed the pitcher next who cried out for help as he put his hands up to block his face. "WHY!?" he demanded. "WHY SORA?"

But before any of them could answer, three more police cars had finally caught up to Riku and started grabbing the teens who didn't put up much of a fight and instead looked relieved. But Riku wasn't giving up any of them, instead he yelled at them while they were being taken away and refused to let his grip up on the pitcher who kept begging for help. The next thing Riku knew, he was being pinned down by four officers and thrashing beneath them as they tried to put him in handcuffs, his face getting grass and dirt smeared all over it as he struggled beneath them.

"It's okay, son! You got them!" one of the officers tried to calm Riku. "Just calm down!"

"Riku!"

"Kairi!?" Riku lifted his head to see Kairi standing nearby. He hadn't realized he had stopped them in front of her house. "KAIRI! Go with Sora's mom!"

"Right!" she shouted before running back towards Sora's place as fast as her legs could carry her.

Relieved, Riku finally relaxed and let himself be taken away in the police car to be taken to the station. He was sore from all the knees being pressed into his back, his knuckles bled freely, and his cuffs were almost too tight, but he didn't really notice any of it. Instead he inwardly curled into himself as he prayed that Sora would be okay.


	76. Do I know you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku gives a witness statement. Sora finally wakes up in the hospital.

Kairi couldn't believe this was happening right now. How did she end up in the back of an ambulance with Sora's mom and with Sora unconscious on a stretcher and in a neck brace? The EMT working on him managed to get the bleeding to stop but Sora still won't wake up.

"Sora? Sora, honey, can you hear me?" the EMT asked as she pulled back his eyelids and checked his pupils with her flashlight.

Sora's mom was beside herself, her hands trembling as she clutched Sora's hand and white as a sheet. Kairi did her best to calm her but she wasn't sure if anything was getting through. "It's going to be okay, I promise! That thick head of his has been hit with worse!"

"But...what if..." his mother's voice shook as she spoke.

"Hey! Sora!" Kairi shouted over the noise of the siren. "Wake up, you lazy bum! You're scaring your mom!"

"Nnnn..." Sora moaned briefly and stirred but he didn't awaken fully. Just enough to squeeze his mom's hand.

"Well, that's a good sign!" the EMT laughed, earning a sigh of relief from Sora's poor mother. "You just hang tight, sweetie. We're almost there!"

* * *

Riku had been kept in cuffs in an interrogation room until he calmed down fully. When they brought him to the station, he nearly lunged at the three who attacked them again and had to be dragged away once more. Now after having a cold glass of water to clear his head and a quiet room to think, he had quieted down considerably. Now he just felt numb. He just wanted to see if Sora was okay. Nothing else mattered. He stared unseeing at his hands, the blood on his knuckles long since caked and dried and bruises were starting to blossom. He couldn't even bring himself to care enough to heal them now that nobody was looking.

The door clicked and he looked up to see the officer that first arrived on the scene when Sora hit the ground. "Wait..." he squinted.

"It's been a while, Riku," the officer smiled.

"Officer Cherry?" Riku blinked. "Wow, how long has it been?" Sora and Riku have known Officer Cherry since they were really little. He's been a long-time neighbor and neighborhood watchman. Officer Cherry was always around to make sure they walked home safely when they were kids. He was also a favorite at school assemblies. With his friendly smile and well-trimmed mustache, he was just one of those faces Riku got used to seeing growing up, almost to the point that it was easy to forget he was a cop.

"Since you ran past me on the night of the storm, remember?" the kind officer reminded him as he leaned over to unlock his cuffs.

"Oh...right..." Riku cleared his throat uncomfortably. He remembered telling him he'd be right back, that he was just checking that the boats were tied down and he trusted him enough to let him go even as the "storm" grew worse.

"Would you like some more water?" he asked as he put the cuffs away.

"No...thank you, I'm fine," Riku answered as he took a moment to rub his wrists. The feeling was starting to come back now. His fingers ached as he flexed them.

"We'll let you get those looked at as soon as I finish taking pictures. Could you hold them out for me, please?"

"Oh, sure," the teen complied and laid them flat on the table as the officer whipped out a large camera to take photos with, the flash nearly blinding Riku as he snapped picture after picture. "So uh...what happens now?"

"Well first, you're a witness and a victim of a crime. So I ask you some questions and you write a statement. Then we get the charges underway," he explained simply.

"Charges?" Riku blinked.

Officer Cherry raised an eyebrow. "You DO want to press charges, don't you?"

"Oh, right, of course," the silverette chuckled nervously. "So...does that mean I'm not in trouble?"

"For defending yourself? No. At least there's nothing we're going to hold you for. Now if THEY press charges, that's a different story."

"Right..." Riku huffed.

"Look, I know you want to get out of here and check on Sora, so let's just move this along as quick as we can, shall we?" the officer smiled.

Riku smiled back, "Yes, let's."

The officer smirked beneath his mustache as he grabbed a pen and notepad. "So tell me everything that happened."

Riku went into detail about how they were walking home from a late blitzball practice when they were attacked, how the rocks seemed to come from all directions, the girls ducking behind the fence, how one went into Sora's house, and finally, how Sora got struck in the head. "After that, I chased down the ones that I could reach, the ones I thought were the ones who actually hit Sora. But I know there were more. I just couldn't see them," he concluded. "The ones on my left. It's the only way they could've hit Sora's house. From what I could tell, it sounded like they were using slingshots, except for that last one...the one that hit Sora." He told him about how they pointed to the pitcher from the high school baseball team as the one that actually hit Sora.

Officer Cherry jotted down the entire thing before he finally looked up from his notepad. "Any reason you can think of as to why these boys came after you?"

Riku sighed heavily, unsure if he should answer. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"We need to establish motive. It will affect how the charges are pursued." He studied Riku's face for a moment before sighing as well. "Look, I know you and Sora are good kids. But we also heard from the school that Sora's been getting into trouble? Or is trouble finding him?"

Riku's eyes narrowed as he became very displeased with the insinuation. "Sounds like victim-blaming to me, Officer."

"Nobody's blaming him! We're just trying to understand what's going on," he insisted! "We interviewed the other two girls at the scene already. They told us they overheard these boys going on about something during your blitz ball practice. Somebody had a bone to pick with somebody here. But was it with you or Sora?"

Riku leaned back heavily in his chair. "Sora's...been getting bullied at school. At first it was about the track team. They wanted him to join and he refused. But they let up after a while. And then there was that whole school festival thing."

"Oh yeah! The festival was great this year! I caught a glimpse of your performance! I saw Sora's play, too! You both were great!"

"Thank you," Riku said half-heartedly. "But that's when I began to notice other things." He told him about the off-color comments. The encounter after the play. The name-calling. The confrontation in the alley.

"So what you're saying...is that this is a hate crime," the officer concluded.

The statement felt heavy in the air. It made Riku swallow hard. "Yeah...yeah I guess it is."

"But you don't know anything about the pitcher?"

Riku shook his head. "None. I know he's in the class across from mine but I don't think we've ever even spoken before."

"Have _you_ received any threats?" As he spoke, another officer came in wearing gloves and armed with several swabs and plastic bags and started swabbing Riku's hands. Lots and lots of swabbing.

"Not directly? Sure I've received a few insults, but they've mostly been from those two incidents. Except for the track captain, but that was all about Sora joining the team." Riku looked down at his hands, just now realizing how much blood was actually on them as the other officer seemed to have finished and was now applying first aid, cleaning the wounds thoroughly with rubbing alcohol and gauze before applying bandages where needed. After that he was asked to take his shirt off for evidence collection. It was then that Riku noticed Sora's blood was on his front. He swallowed hard as he undid his tie and slid it off. His stiff, bandaged fingers fumbled with the buttons but the officers waited patiently as he carefully peeled it off and handed it to them only to find the blood had run through to his undershirt as well. He hesitated and looked to Officer Cherry who only nodded to confirm that shirt had to go too. Gritting his teeth, he pulled that one off, too and heard Officer Cherry audibly wince at the scar on his side. He's gotten used to people seeing his scar by now, especially since there was no hiding it at the festival, but Riku supposed the impact is a little different seeing it up close.

"Oof, they sure didn't mention that one in your missing person's report," he commented before handing Riku a plain white shirt.

Riku didn't say anything as he pulled the new shirt on. It was scratchy and too tight over his arms and chest but it was better than nothing. "Are we done here?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid. There are still a few things we have to go over."

"How much longer is this going to take?" the silverette asked impatiently.

"Not much longer," the officer assured him as he lifted up a box and started spreading its contents on the table. They were Sora and Riku's school bags all wrapped up in evidence bags and even the rock from the scene was wrapped up, still glinting even in the dim florescent lighting. There was also a set of slingshots that Riku recognized as the ones that were used to hunt birds on the island. In the wrong hands they could be extremely dangerous. Looking at their school bags, it was more than clear, as the leather on both bags was beyond cracked. Sora's even had a hole in it and he could see a rock had embedded itself in one of his notebooks. "You know, there is a reason why your schools don't permit relationships..."

"Again, are you trying to say we provoked this?" Riku asked icily.

"No. I've known both of you since you were old enough to cross the street on your own. Anybody could see that you two have always been close. I'm just warning you that once this reaches your school, you'll have some questions to answer from them as well," he answered solemnly.

Before Riku could say he couldn't care any less what the school would have to say, Officer Cherry put on some gloves and pulled out another box to put in the items they didn't need for evidence so that Riku could take it with him, such as their school books and both their gummi phones. Then after he let Riku review his statement, he signed it off.

"So we're releasing you into your father's custody and we're asking you to take a week off from school. You are to have no contact with your three attackers until the set court date," he stipulated.

"Don't worry," Riku huffed as he accepted the box of their items. "Are we done _now_?"

The officer nodded. "For now. But you might see me again at the hospital. I still have to question Sora, too."

The silverette glanced over one last time at the items on the table, the rock once again catching his eye. None of this made any sense. He knew there had to be more than three, and two that came after them would be graduating soon, just like him. With one of them being a track captain, he might even have a sports scholarship. Why would they jeopardize all of that? With one last sigh, he decided he didn't really care at the moment. He needed to see Sora. With everything settled, Officer Cherry hurried to escort him out of the precinct where his dad was already waiting with the car.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Sora had gone through tests and they've determined that he's got a concussion but by some miracle, he's fine otherwise, besides the cut on the side of his head. However, he still won't wake up.

Kairi hadn't left Sora's mom's side for a second, even as they watched the nurse clean and stitch up Sora's head wound. Dressed in a hospital gown and lying on his side with his hands resting near his face on a padded table, Sora somehow looked so small and helpless. Sora's mom couldn't even watch, though she kept a tight grip on his hand the entire time. "Why won't he wake up?" she asked for what must've been the twentieth time since they've been here.

The doctor looking over his chart nearby sighed. "Well, I can see here in his x-rays that he has other previous skull fractures that have only just healed. But his other scans are normal. The brain does strange things sometimes. It's possible that he's just taking this concussion extra hard. I'm confident he'll wake up soon. But even then, we should keep him overnight for observation."

"You're all done, Sora!" the nurse announced as she finished the last stitch. "Five stitches! That must've been one nasty rock." She tutted as she blotted away the last of the blood. She had to shave a little bit around the wound in order to stitch him up properly but as soon as the area was dry, the surrounding hair sprung back up into its usual spikes, completely hiding the wound from sight again, making her laugh a little. "See, you can't even tell!"

Sora's mom and Kairi chuckled a little. "Does it hurt him?" Sora's mom asked.

"I've given him a little anesthesia. He won't even feel it when he wakes up. Just make sure he doesn't scratch it," the nurse instructed.

"Nnnn..." Sora groaned. "What hit me?"

"Sora!" Sora's mom cried out. "My baby! You're awake!"

Sora blinked his eyes open, wincing noticeably. "Mom? Where are we?"

The doctor walked over and the nurse hurried to clear the area in case Sora decided to sit up abruptly. "Glad to have you join us, Sora!"

Sora awkwardly sat up, the nurse and his mom holding him steady as he did so. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No, I'm Doctor Short. You're in the immediate care unit of Destiny Islands hospital. Do you know why you might be here?" the doctor asked while he took a small light out of his pocket and checked Sora's pupils.

"Hey!" Sora flinched slightly as the doctor got in his personal space but tried to answer the question. "Did I...fall? My head hurts."

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Tues...day?" Sora blinked.

"Okay. When's your birthday?"

"March 28th," he answered.

"Good. How old are you, Sora?"

"Fourteen, going on fifteen!" he smiled proudly.

Kairi and Sora's mom's jaws dropped. But before Sora's mom could even correct him, the doctor was quick to put up his hand to silence her. "What's the last thing you remember, Sora?"

Sora crossed his arms and furrowed his brow in thought. Thinking hurt. "Uh...let's see. I was at the play island with Riku and Kairi. I was racing Riku and winning this time. But I got attacked by sea gulls."

Kairi's eyes widened. She remembers that day! It was only weeks before they came up with the idea for the raft. Sora had tried to take a short cut to the usual star-shaped racing point by jumping on top of the trees and upset a nest of sea gulls that pecked him until he came crashing down to the ground and he ended up losing the race. But if that's really the last thing Sora remembers then...

"But wait...I remember...Riku and I were walking home together after we tethered the boats...did something happen then?" he looked up. "Wait, where's Riku? Did something happen to Riku, too?"

"Riku's safe," Kairi assured him, almost too quickly.

Sora looked to Kairi, his eyes widening as if he just realized she was sitting there. "Wait...Kairi?"

"Yes, it's me, Sora," she smiled.

"Did you...get taller? And change your hair?" he blinked rapidly. "Wait..." he looked down at his own hands. They looked bigger. There were callouses he didn't remember having and a scar...a star-shaped scar on his left wrist. "What is this?"

The doctor rested a hand on Sora's shoulder to steady him. "Just take a deep breath. Everything's okay. You were hit in the head with a rock, so your memory might be fuzzy for a little while. We're going to keep you here overnight and keep checking up on you to make sure you're okay."

"How long until I remember again?" Sora asked. "This is so weird."

"Probably within a few hours at the most," the doctor assured him. "In the meantime, take it easy. We'll look after you here."

Sora looked to his mom. "I wanna see Riku."

"I know, sweetie," his mom squeezed his hand. "But he's...I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"We should probably limit the number of visitors until he's ready," the doctor gently warned.

"No! I need to see him! Now!" Sora suddenly shouted. He didn't know why, but something in him SCREAMED to see Riku. It was almost scary how badly he wanted to see him. He immediately started kicking off the blankets covering his lap and tried to get off the table but his mother and the nurse were quick to gently grab him.

"Let's get you moved to a room first, how's that, hon?" the nurse quickly suggested. "Then we'll see if we can call Riku for you."

Sora relaxed and nodded. He DID feel tired. So tired that he didn't even notice that he was being helped into a wheelchair as the doctor continued to ask him questions that he didn't know the answers to. Why even bother? He knew he was answering them wrong anyway. He could tell by the way the doctor was talking. But after his outburst from earlier, he already felt like he had crossed some line. He knew he sounded childish and though he was slightly embarrassed, he also found he didn't really care. Riku was still at the forefront of his mind even as they guided him into a hospital bed and asked what he wanted from the cafeteria. _Guess I haven't eaten yet._ "I dunno...anything, I guess."

"I'll get you something," Kairi volunteered. "Just don't give your mom too much trouble."

"Kairi--"

"If I see Riku," she interrupted. "I'll be sure to sneak him in," she winked.

Sora relaxed and flashed a white smile, "Thanks, Kairi!"

The way he tilted his head when he smiled sent a wave of nostalgia through Kairi's heart. She could only smile warmly and nod before heading out into the hall to make her way to the cafeteria.

_It's so strange...It really is like talking to the old Sora._

"Kairi!"

The redhead was startled out of her thoughts as she passed the waiting room. Sure enough, Riku and his dad were there, along with Sora's dad! "Riku!" She rushed over and gave him a tight hug which he returned warmly. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me too!" he gave her an extra squeeze before pulling away. "Is he alright? They won't let us in to see him."

"I'm sorry," she turned her eyes downcast. "He's fine except..."

"What is it? Please, Kairi!"

She looked up again. His face was so worried and she could tell he was holding back as his fingers gently clenched into her shoulders. She fought back the urge to cry. "The doctor said it's probably only temporary, but...he doesn't remember anything."

Sora's dad ran a heavy hand over his face. "What do you mean? He doesn't remember the attack?"

Kairi shook her head. "He thinks...he thinks he's fourteen."

Riku blinked and straightened up, his face blank with shock as he tried to process the information.

"Riku..." Kairi touched his arm. "He's going to be okay."

"Kairi...does he know about--"

She shook her head again. "He doesn't remember the storm."

Riku's dad gripped his shoulder. "Riku, maybe we should go home."

"No!" Riku shook him off. "I need to see him!"

"Shouldn't his own father see him first, you think?" his dad scolded.

"I--"

"RIKU!?"

They all looked up. Sora's voice was calling from down the hall. Apparently he could hear Riku's voice.

"Sora!" Riku hurried past Kairi, ignoring everybody who tried to stop him as he made his way down the hall. He didn't need to know the room number. His heart already knew where Sora was! Halfway down the hall he couldn't even bring himself to walk anymore. He ran! His legs felt heavy as his shoes slapped against the linoleum and his heart pounded in his chest. Sora HAS to remember him. He has to!

He burst into the room, sliding the door open with a loud CLACK to see Sora already getting out of bed as he wanted to see Riku for himself despite his mother trying to keep him seated. "Sora!"

"Riku!" Sora's eyes widened when the older teen appeared in his doorway, chest heaving beneath a too-tight shirt and wearing light blue plaid pants that he recognized as part of the high school uniform. He was so tall...and muscular...and his face! He didn't recognize the rest of him but those eyes and that hair. It was definitely Riku!

"Sora!" Riku let out a huge sigh of relief as he hurried forward to wrap his arms around him and hold him tightly. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

"Um...uh-huh!" Sora squeaked, blushing furiously with his arms flat at his sides as Riku hugged him tightly. When's the last time Riku hugged him like this? Despite how awkward he felt, he raised his arms to return the embrace. "You're so tall!"

Riku could only laugh as he pulled away. "What do you mean by that?" That's when he remembered what Kairi told him only moments ago. "Wait...do you really not remember?"

"Riku..." Sora's mom said gently. "It'll be okay. The doctor said it should only be temporary and that we need to keep Sora relaxed," she said the last part with a tone of warning in her voice.

Riku swallowed hard and nodded. "Right. Uh...you should probably be back in bed, then."

"Pft, don't _you_ start turning into a mother hen too!" Sora scoffed. "I feel fine!"

"I'm sure you do," Riku smirked before forcefully turning him around and shoving him back towards the hospital bed. "Just enjoy it while it lasts. If you think I'm going easy on you after you get out of here, you got another thing coming."

Sora's mom smiled with relief at seeing Riku play along, though she can tell by his body language that the interaction pained him.

Despite their best efforts, the next couple of hours were stressful for all parties involved.

Even after filling his stomach with the best the cafeteria had to offer, Sora still couldn't remember anything. Kairi even cast a cure spell when nobody was looking and Riku snuck him a potion by dumping it on his head, again, when nobody was looking and much to Sora's surprise and confusion when something cold hit his head only to immediately evaporate ("Are you trying to prank me?"). Officer Cherry had come by to ask Sora for his statement but since Sora couldn't remember anything that happened, there wasn't much that Sora could answer so they agreed to call him once Sora got his memory back. In the meantime he was given the same instructions as Riku: stay home for at least a week and avoid contact with the assailants at all cost. "That shouldn't be too hard. I don't even know who they are," Sora muttered as soon as the officer left. After that, he spent some time with his mom and dad and Kairi even came back.

As the clock ticked away the hours, it was clear that Sora was getting more and more frustrated. The awe and wonder of his situation was beginning to wear off and instead he became increasingly agitated as he now had so many questions that everybody seemed to avoid answering in favor of "keeping him calm" instead.

Even Riku, the one Sora was sure would answer anything he asked seemed to be tight-lipped and even more overprotective than his own mother. He hadn't seen him act this way since they were REALLY little. _No, this is worse. Maybe he's putting on an act because my mother's here._

So when the time came for visiting hours to be over, Sora knew the one person he wanted to stay with him. Though his mom protested briefly, Sora insisted he would be fine. He's old enough to be in the hospital all by himself. Besides, he'd feel bad if she had to sleep on the uncomfortable guest couch, especially if she had to go to work tomorrow. "Riku can stay with me," he insisted. "That's okay, right?"

"Hmm..." Sora's mom looked to Riku who didn't look like he had any protests. "Okay, but I'll need to check with the front desk to see if it's alright."

When she left to check, it was just Sora and Riku again. Sora felt like he hadn't been able to look directly at him since they hugged earlier. Whenever he did, his heart would race and he felt his face get all hot. _Maybe this is a bad idea after all..._

Riku could see it clear as day and had been doing his best to not smirk at Sora's expense. He's NEVER seen the teen this flustered to be around him before. "Something on your mind?"

"DAH! I mean no!" Sora shook his head. "Just...you don't MIND staying with me, do you?"

"Not at all," Riku smiled warmly.

Sora felt the heat in his face get worse. _What's with that face? Why is he so...pretty?_ He shook his head again. _NO! That's wrong! He's handsome! Guys can't be pretty!_ His face then screwed into a pout. _Who am I kidding? That guy's dumb face has always been pretty._

Riku watched this little mental fit with concern. "Keep doing that and you'll rip your stitches out."

"What do you care?" Sora stuck his tongue out.

Riku blinked, slightly taken aback by the comment.

Sora noticed the flinch and immediately felt bad. Apparently that stung? "Riku, I--"

"It's fine," Riku laughed. "It's good that you're feisty. Better than being the drooling vegetable you were a few hours ago."

"I was NOT a drooling vegetable!" Sora scoffed before they both broke into a laugh.

Sora's mom came back, relieved to hear both of them laughing. It made her feel better about leaving the two of them alone for the night. "It took a little convincing, but you can stay with him tonight, Riku. I'll be back in the morning to pick both of you up. Do you two need anything before I leave? Maybe some pajamas for you, Riku?"

"I'm fine," Riku declined politely. "Thank you. I'll call you if anything comes up."

"Hm, I'm sure he's in good hands," she smiled sweetly before kissing Riku on the forehead and then kissing Sora's cheek. "Now don't you cause any more trouble."

"I won't, I promise," Sora grumbled as he fisted away the kiss. "Night, mom."

"Night, you two," she smiled to both of them before finally leaving.

Riku waved as she left and looked up at the clock just as a nurse over the intercom announced visiting hours were up. "Well...what now?"

"Now..." Sora sat up. "You answer my questions!" he grinned with a hint of mischief in his voice.

Riku smirked. "Oh really? Like what?"

"Have you kissed a girl yet?"

"Oh boy..."


	77. Ripples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku stays with Sora overnight in the hospital.

"WHAT IS THAT IDIOT DOING!?!" Roxas shouted as he angrily jammed his finger into his phone, desperately trying to reach either Sora or Riku.

"Roxas, calm down!" Xion tried to soothe the frantically pacing teen. "I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe Sora's just--"

"No! This is different!" Roxas insisted. "I can't feel him at all. It's like he just...It's like..."

"Like what?" Xion asked softly, though she had a feeling she knew what Roxas was going to say.

The blonde swallowed the lump growing in his throat. "It's like when I lost you that time...when I forgot who you were. I feel like Sora's forgotten me. Don't you feel it too?"

Xion clutched at her robe over her heart. "I feel...something. But I don't think I feel it as strongly as you do."

Roxas grit his teeth and stomped out of the room, "VANI!!"

"Roxas! WAIT!" Xion chased after him. "You can't be serious! You can't go now! It's the middle of the night! What if they're not even home?"

Vanitas and Naminé sat up from where they had fallen asleep in the grass. "That can't be good," Vanitas growled as he could hear Roxas stampeding down the stairs even from where they were in the courtyard.

"Vani!" Roxas shouted again as he slammed the doors open. "Vani, you gotta take me to Destiny Islands!"

"In your pajamas?" Vanitas deadpanned.

"Roxas, I can tell you're upset, but maybe you shouldn't go right this second," Naminé warned. "I'm sure Riku will update us when--"

"So you feel it too?" Roxas asked. "Aren't you as worried as I am?"

"I don't think ANYBODY can be as worked up as you are at the moment," Vanitas huffed as he stood and brushed the grass off of himself before lending a hand to Naminé as well. "Look, as much as I would love to watch you harass Riku, we should probably wait until morning. If we leave now, Isa will kick my ass."

"Got that right," the blue-haired man appeared behind Roxas and Xion. "Shouldn't you four be in bed?"

Roxas whipped around, "Isa! Sora's--"

"Whatever it is...surely it can wait until morning?" Isa asked sternly.

"But--"

"Look, buddy, it's going to be fine," Axel appeared in the doorway next. "Isa's right. You should all get to bed. Whatever it is, I'm sure Riku will let us know. Unless...have you tried texting Kairi yet?"

"SHIT!" Roxas's eyes widened with realization and he bolted back inside.

"Great, now you're going to have him bother the princess, too?" Isa asked.

Axel laughed as they all headed inside. "It's better than letting him leave, right?"

"More like better her than us, you mean," Vanitas grumbled under his breath.

* * *

Riku had been answering questions for as best as he could manage for hours. It's gotten to the point that the nurses had come in to turn off the lights so now they were speaking in hushed voices. The pull out bed had even been set up for Riku with fresh sheets and he had ditched his school pants in favor just chilling out under the blankets in his boxers and the t-shirt he had gotten from the precinct, even if it itched like crazy.

Sora could tell he was wearing out Riku and he could already tell this Riku was much more mature and patient than the one he was used to. The Riku he knew would've asked him to shut up an hour ago, AT LEAST. He had hoped to glean more information from him now that they were alone. He still felt like an alien in his own body. None of this seemed real and to him Riku felt like his only connection to this bizarre world that did and didn't feel like home at the same time...a connection that was being incredibly stubborn and vague about his answers. But even as the lights were turned off and they were tucked under the covers for the night, he persisted, determined to stay awake just like he would have at their sleepovers when they were very little. There was something comforting about talking to Riku. Despite how different he looked on the outside there was something that remained the same...and something else very different, something that made his heart flutter and his face redden whenever he looked at him directly. He kept asking questions in the hope that he could find out what that something was, that something he just couldn't put his finger on but wanted to so desperately.

"Shouldn't you focus on resting so you can feel better, Sora?" Riku asked gently.

"How can I be expected to rest when everything feels so wrong?" Sora huffed.

"Guess I can't argue with you there," the silverette chuckled softly. He really wanted Sora to fall asleep, though. Maybe once he does he can dive into Sora's dreams and figure something out. It was a tiny, fleeting hope, but it was worth a shot. As much as he wanted to just put Sora to sleep and get it over with, it didn't feel right.

Sora laced his fingers underneath his pillow, resisting the urge to scratch at his stitches. "If you really want me to sleep, you could tell me a story~" he suggested.

Riku snorted, "Really?"

"Yeah! You tell the best stories!"

"Only YOU think that," Riku snickered. "Fine, but you better fall asleep."

"I make no guarantees," Sora grinned toothily.

"Then you won't get a story," the older teen said simply.

"Then you can tell me why you haven't kissed any girls yet," Sora teased, his grin now extra cheeky.

"Once upon a time..."

Riku couldn't help himself. He told a story of how a boy got separated from his friends by a dark force and was given a weapon to dispatch evil. He spoke about how the boy rescued princesses and saved other worlds until he could find his friends. The entire time, Sora was captivated, for once not interrupting to ask any questions as he held on to Riku's every word. All the while, Riku kept his eyes trained on Sora in the dark to see any glimmer of recognition on his face, but sadly detected none. The longer Sora stayed awake, the more of his story Riku continued to tell. He got as far as the boy falling in love and returning home before the brunette finally fell asleep. When he finally drifted off, Riku quietly rose from his bed and leaned over to check his breathing. Once he was sure it was deep and even, he pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead before going back to the pull out couch.

Once he was as comfortable as he could possibly be on the narrow bed, he closed his eyes and attempted the dive. There was the familiar lurch in his stomach as he fell through a wind tunnel of fleeting thoughts and visions. He could see Sora's heart station at the bottom, gleaming as brightly as ever. But the longer he fell, the further away it seemed. Instead of getting larger, it got smaller to the point he couldn't tell if he was falling down or rising up! He tried reaching it faster but soon it was just a pinprick in the darkness until it faded from his sight completely and he woke up with a start!

He sat up and clutched his head as he tried to push away the pounding in his forehead. He must've been trying to make the dive for longer than he had realized. He glanced up at the clock to see it's been at least two hours since he tried to make the dive and Sora was still sound asleep. With a sigh, he laid back down and turned onto his side so that he could watch Sora's even breathing, the brunette softly snoring without a care in the world. The sight brought a small smile to Riku's face, a small salve to the ache of not being able to make the dive. "Good night, Sora," he whispered before letting his eyes close once more to sleep for real.

. . .

"WHAT IS THIS!?"

Riku's eyelids burst open as he heard Sora's voice cry out from the bathroom. He winced a little at the light from the cracked bathroom door shining in his eyes through the otherwise dark room. Unthinking, he kicked off the blankets and stumbled through the dark to reach it, his heart racing as he swung it open to see Sora gawking in horror and disbelief at himself in the mirror, dressed in nothing but his boxers with his hospital gown forgotten on the floor at his feet. The brunette slowly turned to look at Riku, tears streaming down his face in silent twin rivers as his hands shook where they rested on his own chest. "Wh-what happened to me, Riku?"

Riku swallowed the lump in his throat and hurried to gather Sora in his arms, holding him tightly as the other's tears soaked his shirt. He said nothing, only cradled his head and ran his fingers through his hair, carefully avoiding the stitches until he felt Sora's trembling cease.

"Please, Riku," Sora pleaded as he clutched at the scratchy fabric of Riku's shirt. "Tell me."

Riku inhaled the scent of Sora's hair deeply before he answered, "The story I told you...it's yours."

Sora pulled away to look up at him, his face blotchy and nose running. He sniffed loudly as he tried to wrap his head around what Riku just said only for his face to split into a watery smile. "So after all of that...you still ended up being taller than me after all, huh?" he sniffed again before his smile began to crumble.

Riku's heart ached as he pulled Sora close again, gently rocking the both of them, "You don't have to make jokes. It's okay to be sad."

Sora stopped sniffling for a moment as he rested his face on Riku's warm chest, his ear pressed against his heart where he could hear it thrumming just as fast as he felt his had been. But there was something else to it, something that gave him pause. "If the story is true...then who's the one I fell in love with?"

Riku stiffened and pulled away once again to brush his thumb over Sora's cheeks to wipe away his tears. "It's late. We should get you back to bed."

"But I'm not tired," Sora protested with his cheeks puffed out in a pout that made Riku smile.

"Fine, if you get back into bed, I'll show you something you've never seen before. How's that?"

Sora's face broke into a wide, genuine smile before he nodded and hurried to get dressed again before hopping back into the hospital bed almost a little too forcefully, the instruments and table beside the bed rattling when he landed. The commotion made Riku snort. Sora was like a bounding about like a dog who didn't know it wasn't a puppy anymore. With the brunette back in bed, he walked over to his own things and found his gummi phone. Somehow during the commotion it had turned off and once he turned it back on the screen beeped with a list of 30 notifications. "Roxas...?"

Sora tilted his head at the unfamiliar word. "What's that you got there?"

"It's a phone that you can carry with you," Riku explained. "Hold on, I'll show you in a second. I just gotta answer these."

Roxas: HEY A$$H0LE  
Roxas: ANSWER ME  
Roxas: HELLO  
Roxas: WUTS GOIN ON???  
Roxas: Look i didnt mean it  
Roxas: Whats wrong with Sora?  
Roxas: DONT MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE  
Roxas: I MEAN IT  
Roxas: ILL DO IT

After that, there was about ten minutes between the time stamps before Roxas texted again.

Roxas: Just texted Kairi  
Roxas: U better keep me updated  
Roxas: Call me when you get the chance  
Roxas: I mean it

Riku sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly with his thumb and index finger before squinting in the dark to type out his reply.

Riku: I'll call you later today. Sorry my phone was off.  
Riku: And I'm fine, thank you for asking. :P

He almost regretted that last text but really he couldn't bring himself to care. Of course Roxas would know something was wrong with Sora. He should've let him know sooner. For now, though, he could feel Sora's eyes watching him expectantly, so he closed the messaging app and opened up the phone games app instead where he had the complete collection of Mickey games ready to go. He stood from the pull out bed and had Sora scooch over so he could sit with him.

"Here. It's like a gameboy but the buttons are on the screen," Riku showed him.

"Wow!" Sora's face lit up as he took in the simple black and white interface. "Wait! That guy looks just like me! I'm in a video game?"

"Yup!" Riku chuckled. "Give it a try."

After a while, they adjusted Sora's hospital bed so the both of them could sit upright while Sora played the games on Riku's phone, his head resting on Riku's shoulder while he watched him play. The tiny beeps and bloops continued until Sora drifted off to sleep, still clutching the phone in his lap. With a soft smile, Riku gently pried it from his fingers and reached over to grab Sora's chart from the bed, quietly snapping pictures of its contents on his phone before putting it back and pulling the blanket over both of them. Sora stirred minutely, his feathery tufts of hair tickling Riku's arm pleasantly as he nestled further into him. With a wistful sigh, Riku wraps an arm around him and allows himself to fall back asleep once more with hopes that when the sun rises Sora's memory will arrive with it.

. . .

When dawn arrived, Sora stirred awake first to find himself nestled into Riku. It was so warm and comfortable he was almost tempted to go back to sleep. But when the realization actually hit him, his heart began racing again. _Wait wait wait wait!_ He pushed himself up into an upright position so suddenly that he woke Riku. "S-sorry! I uh...I need to go to the bathroom!" he squeaked before clawing his way out of bed and fleeing to the adjoined bathroom in such a hurry that he slammed the door behind himself.

Riku blinked rapidly as his tired brain tried to comprehend what the hell just happened. The previous day's events slowly seeped back into his memory as he took in his surroundings. He rolled out of the hospital bed to put his school pants back on before any of the nurses could come into check on them. "Guess...he doesn't remember after all," he sighed. After all, he could think of no other reason for Sora to react that way.

He texted Sora's mother to let her know that Sora still didn't remember anything. By then Doctor Short had checked on Sora again, still bewildered as to why Sora still didn't have his memory back. More tests were run but again, everything was normal, save for the cut ("It itches," Sora complained.). The doctor remained optimistic, however, and said to give it a couple more days. If he still shows no sign of regaining his memory, they might have to run a few more tests. After that, they said they saw no other reason to hold him any longer and Sora's mother took them back home. It was a short car ride but the awkward silence between the three of them made it feel like a lifetime. Sora's mom offered for Riku to come over for breakfast but he opted to go straight home instead, as he was barely able to keep his eyes open and his heart just felt too heavy to keep up with pleasantries for much longer.

When Riku arrived home, the place was empty as his parents had already left for work. His steps echoed in the dark halls and reminded him of how hollow he felt inside as he made the walk to his room. With barely half a mind to close the door, he stumbled over to his wardrobe to throw on some pajamas and grabbed his journal off the desk. With his glasses and journal in hand, he sat on the bed and pulled out his gummi phone.

"Hey TRON, can you pull up Sora's medical files? I need to add something."

The phone sprung to life, its screen providing a soft blue glow over the journal in Riku's lap as he flipped to a blank page. Falling into old habits, he began writing.

"Certainly," TRON answered, the program smiling politely from the corner of the screen as it pulled up said records. "Are you modifying an older entry or adding a new one?"

"Adding..." Riku answered quietly.

There's a short solemn pause from TRON before he obediently pulls up the form. "Understood...Ready to receive new entry."

Riku takes a slow breath and started robotically describing the injury from what he recorded off of Sora's medical chart in the hospital. The placement of the cut, the depth of the injury, the number of stitches, the results of the x-rays, the scans, he described it all in a low, quiet voice while his pen scribbled across the page, any louder and his voice would've trembled from the effort of not letting his tears escape.


	78. Imposter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora plays detective and he has ANSWERS...I MEAN QUESTIONS! Yeah just...more questions.

Sora didn't see Riku for a whole day! While at home, his mother took a day off to hover over him. It was fun for a little while because he got to watch TV for a bit. But there was so much he didn't recognize. The cartoons he remembered looked different now. Shows he remembered liking weren't even airing anymore. It only served to remind him that there was a lot he couldn't remember. His mother was acting oddly, too. She asked him to help her in the kitchen. She's NEVER asked him to do that. What was she expecting from him? After standing around and feeling awkward for a bit, she suggested he visit his dad's shop.

"Why can't I see Riku?" Sora asked.

"He's at the docks with his dad today, sweetie," his mother explained while she handed him a lunch to take to his dad. "Make sure you're back before Kairi gets here with your homework."

"Okay," Sora deflated.

He kicked rocks along the sidewalk as he went. At least his dad's shop is in the same place, he thought to himself. On the outside, the town seemed exactly the same, but why did everything still feel so weird? Even his own bedroom felt somewhat empty. He didn't recognize the clothes in his wardrobe. He couldn't find some of his belongings. There were more books! He tried asking his mom where some of his things disappeared off too but she wouldn't give a straight answer. He even tried reading through his schoolbooks but a lot of it didn't make any sense to him. And then there were the papers his mom had stuck to the fridge, papers he apparently wrote.

"So weird...I'm 18 but my mom still sticks my papers to the fridge?" He couldn't help chuckling to himself. "Maybe things really aren't all that different. But still..."

There was a report he wrote on Romeo and Juliet. He glanced through the first couple of pages, an in-depth analysis on love and what it really means and something about morality in the wake of tragedy that that he didn't understand. "So...am I actually really smart? I dunno. It doesn't SOUND like me," he huffed as he continued to make his walk. Something else about it bothered him, too. It reminded him that Riku never answered his question last night. "Was his story really true? Was I really hurt in some battle?" he asked himself as he rested a hand over his chest where he knew the scarring was. "Me? A hero? Yeah, right. That sounds more like Riku."

Sora had more fun at his dad's shop than he thought he was going to have. He discovered he had more muscle than he realized. Boards and planks that he thought he would've struggled with felt like practically nothing to him. He could reach shelves he couldn't remember reaching before. He could see into his father's eyes better as they spoke and there was just this...reverence he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Later when he went home with his father for dinner, Kairi was there waiting with notes for him to copy and their homework. He did his best to follow along but he couldn't help being distracted as he took in Kairi herself. Maybe she noticed too, because she started coming off as a little shy or cautious. But once he got her talking again, he could see his Kairi. HIS Kairi...that was so weird to think about. This whole feeling of being separated from everybody was starting to get to him. Things match up with his memory and things also don't. Kairi is just as sweet and spunky as he has always known her to be, but now there's also this strength he's never seen before. This confidence in her words that gave a little extra OOMF to her teasing. Instead of cheeky smiles, there were soft grins and an extra sparkle in her eyes. She was also very patient with his questions, though this time it mostly about homework. Even he was tired of badgering people for the day. He's accepted he's probably going to have to do some detective work on his own for the time being.

And that's exactly what he did once his family had gone to bed for the evening. Unable to sleep, he poured over the things in his bedroom to try and piece together who he is. He didn't get very far. The clothes he had were all stuff he actually liked but there was one outfit in particular that really caught his eye with a "Super Groupies" label on almost every piece. He for sure has never heard of the brand but he liked what he saw and yet he didn't have a lot of it. "Maybe this brand is expensive?" he reasoned with himself before hung the outfit back up. After that, he went through his school notebooks. He knows he always doodles in his notes, so there had to be SOMETHING that might give him a hint, right? Turns out no, his notes were actually pretty clean for the most part, much to his own surprise. He threw the books down on the desk with a huff and flopped heavily onto the edge of the bed to bury his face in his hands. Just when he was about to give up hope, one of the notebooks slid off the pile, startling him as it landed on the floor. With a frown, he walked over to pick it up only something caught his eye. Something leather was peeking out of one of the bottom desk drawers.

"What's this?" he questioned as he pulled it out. It was a leather-bound book and had a crown on it that matched his favorite necklace. His eyes lit up as he traced the familiar insignia with his fingers and he eagerly opened it to see the first entry dated. "YES! I knew I wouldn't let me down!"

* * *

Riku's head and chest ached and he knew why. It only served to make him angry. He stayed in his room and tried to sleep for most of the first day, exhausted from trying to dive into Sora's dreams unsuccessfully while in the hospital and then being woke up a couple of times after that. Even at home, however, he was restless as he tried so hard not to think of the worst case scenario: What if Sora never remembers?

He skipped breakfast. He skipped lunch. Sora's mother even called to ask what he was up to and to tell him Sora would want to see him. But he couldn't bring himself to see him. Not yet. As much as it hurt to lie, he told her he was at the docks with his dad and to not let Sora come. He knew it was awful, but he just couldn't let Sora see him like this. Though their connection is there, it's faint, and frankly the lack of its warm presence just really hurt. Even as he tried to assure himself it's only temporary, that Sora will be back to normal soon, he can't get over the way Sora looked at him and asked "Who's the one I fell in love with?". Just thinking of it now made his heart ache terribly. It was almost hard to breathe. "He'll remember, I know he will," he tried telling himself. "And once he does, we can put this whole thing behind us. I have faith in him."

Eventually, he did call Roxas like he promised. He had a small hope that maybe it would make him feel better. He could even try talking to Naminé, he thought. But it didn't really help much. Turns out Roxas was just as upset as he was, if not more so, because he feels like Sora doesn't remember him AT ALL and kept threatening to come over and just tell Sora everything himself. Riku tried to be patient with him over the phone, to explain how that was probably a very bad idea. But the angry blonde continued to insist until Riku just couldn't take it anymore!

"Sure, go ahead, tell him everything! TELL HIM WHERE YOU CAME FROM! Then he can hate me all over again!" he shouted!

There was a long pause on the phone before Roxas answered. "Sora's NEVER hated you, Riku."

Riku swallowed hard and ran a hand over his face before flopping onto his side on his bed. "I know..."

"Then why?" Roxas asked softly.

"What if he hates me THIS time?"

"That won't happen," he assured him. "Just believe in him like you always have."

Riku took in a long breath and let it out. "Has Naminé...?"

"The memories are there, Riku," Naminé answered. Apparently Roxas handed the phone over to her. "His heart remembers, just not his head. There's...nothing I can do about that."

"Right...I understand," the silverette sighed. "Thanks for trying."

After he hung up, his hand went limp in his lap and he sighed again, tempted to just go back to bed and sleep some more. But he still had some more calls to make. On the desk, next to Riku's books, Sora's table sat, its notification light blinking quietly as if to remind Riku of its presence. Riku bit his lip guiltily. He had intended to return it to Sora but after what's happened, he worried it might be too much. He was then struck with an idea. "Hey, TRON..."

* * *

The next morning, Sora left home early to go to the play island before his mom could stop him, journal in hand. At the usual spot next to the paopu tree he read the last of the entries he had made, his eyes itching with tiredness as he had been pouring over it all night. A lot of it felt like gibberish, stuff about other worlds and keyblades and names he couldn't place. Masters and Kings and battles and magic and pirates...could this really be HIS journal? It seemed to match up with the story Riku told him at the hospital, but just barely. But in between those entries were steamy recollections of interactions with a certain somebody...with Riku.

He clutched at the silver charm hanging from his neck. He found it next to his journal, safe and sound, glad that there was something he still recognized. He doesn't know what he would've done if he couldn't find it. As he fingered the smooth edges of the crown pendant, he glanced back down at the journal in his lap. It all sounds like a fairy tale. What if...that's really what it is? Is it possible that these might be fantasies he's written down? It all sounded too fantastical to be true and yet...he found he wanted to believe it.

"Thought I'd find you here."

"Riku!" Sora hurried to close the journal and prayed he didn't have a blush on his face as the silverette approached the tree. "I was waiting for you!"

"You were, huh?" Riku smiled as he took a seat next to him. "What's up?"

Sora fumbled with the edges of the book clutched in his lap as he tried to find the words but decided to just come out and ask it. "Riku...are we a thing?"

Riku blinks for a moment and just laughs, a long, genuine laugh. It's the first time he's managed to laugh in over a day.

"What? Am I wrong?" the brunette's face reddened, now almost embarrassed.

"No, we are. I'm sorry. It's just...you asked me that once before," Riku assured him as he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. "So wait, do you remember?" he asked hopefully.

"No, but I found my journal," Sora blushed even harder, now avoiding looking at Riku at all costs.

"Oh, I see," Riku blushed as well, also avoiding eye contact as he opts to stare at Sora's hands instead. "So uh...how do you feel about that?"

"Well how am I supposed to feel when I find out my best friend is my boyfriend?" the brunette asked snarkily, now finally looking at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"I guess it would be a bit of a shock," Riku grinned.

"Part of me isn't that surprised," the younger teen answered honestly with a small sigh. "Whenever I look at you, my heart beats so fast. Like it remembers; it knows. But I'm so confused. I thought you liked Kairi. I thought even I--" he stops himself, afraid of what to say next.

Riku nodded in understanding, unconsciously scooching closer to Sora while he swung his legs idly. "Well, Kairi is still our best friend. And as it turned out, it wasn't Kairi that I liked. It was you all along." He dared to look directly into Sora's eyes as he spoke in a softer tone. "It always has been. I was just jealous. I thought you preferred her over me, so I got competitive for your attention, even lashed out a bit. Maybe I even tried to distract her from you, I don't know."

Sora tilted his head with a small smile, "So who confessed first?"

Riku chuckled. "You did."

Sora's face brightened, his face splitting into a large, white smile. "You mean I actually beat you at something?"

Riku laughed again. "That's right."

"Score!" Sora pumped his fist into the air as he cheered.

"Didn't know it was a contest," Riku smirked at the other's infectious enthusiasm.

"Hey, I'll take what I can get. Look how big you are!" The brunette indicated to Riku's body, namely his biceps that were bulging tightly beneath the sleeves of his white t-shirt. "There's no way I can beat you at anything now!"

"That's not true at all!" Riku insisted quickly. "You're better than me at a lot of things!" Amnesia or not, he wouldn't let Sora deprecate himself.

Sora quirked a suspicious eyebrow. This really isn't the Riku he remembers. But then again, in a way, he is. It reminds him a lot of how Riku was when they were very little, before they got so competitive. Riku's always been so cool but when they were younger he also remembers he was very fond of him because of how gentle he was. Riku was older. He didn't have to hang out with Sora as much as he did but he never treated Sora like he didn't belong and he always put up with his whining and crying. He always held his hand when he needed it, but also gave him a little push when he needed it too. His look of suspicion melted into a fond smile instead.

Riku cleared his throat a little awkwardly and reached into his pocket. "Well since you're reading your journal, I guess it's safe to give you back your phone."

"Wait, I have my own phone?" Sora's eyes widened eagerly as he accepted the red device from Riku like a kid who just received a new game console for Christmas. But as excited as he was, he had other pressing matters on his mind, so he slipped it into his own pocket for now. "Um...Riku?"

"Yes?" Riku asked, surprised Sora didn't have more questions about the phone.

"Can I...kiss you?"

Now it was Riku's turn to be suspicious. But he gives him a soft smile. Clearly this was brought on because of the journal. "Yes, but only if you really want to. You don't have to push yourself, you know."

"No, I know, I just really want to see if I'd remember something. Plus, I'm curious." Sora averted his eyes as he sheepishly scratched at his reddening cheek. "I wanna see if it feels different from...when we were kids."

Riku's eyes widened. He had almost forgotten about that. When they were really little, and if Sora got hurt, he'd kiss him to make him feel better, just little cheek kisses. They only kissed on the mouth once, to see what it was like, but he didn't think Sora remembered that at all! "You remember that?"

"Well of course," Sora's answered quickly to hide his growing bashfulness. "You were the only one who's ever kissed me besides my parents."

"Charmer like you never kissed Kairi?" Riku asked jokingly. He did stop giving Sora kisses around the time Kairi showed up because Sora didn't want to look like a little kid around her. Big kids didn't need kisses to feel better, so he said.

Sora shook his head. He never had the guts.

This was a little bit of a surprise to Riku. "Not even when we were little?"

"Nope. Wait, so does this mean you're my first and only kiss?" Sora asked.

"Well not only. You've had more friend kisses since then. Lots of them," Riku smiled.

Sora wasn't sure he believed him. "Friend kisses? Really?"

"Yeah, a lot of people love you. You're a really special person to many people, Sora. Not just me."

Sora grinned, "Wait, so you LET other people kiss me, Mr. Jealous?"

"Hey, I can be mature, believe it or not. Besides I'm not afraid of any competition," he grinned as he crossed his arms.

"Confident, huh?" Sora snickered.

"Definitely," Riku smirked, scooching even closer just to tease the smaller teen.

Sora was onto his game and he wasn't going to let him win. "Well then, let's see," he goaded even though he was now having trouble looking at him, now finding his hands very interesting. His words were ambitious, but his face felt so hot.

Riku shrugged. "Okay. But you're going to have to look at me, you know."

Sora finally looks up from his hands, "Oh, right." He forces himself to look up at Riku's face and smiles sheepishly as he looks into his soft teal eyes. Suddenly it felt hard to breathe and he swore his heart had just stopped as he realized how close Riku's face was to his.

Riku leaned in out of habit, so caught up in the candid banter that he didn't think twice about it only to get a hand painfully shoved into his face! "OW!!" he shouted and clutched his nose, tears of pain quickly springing into his eyes as it felt like it had nearly broke from the impact of Sora's palm!

The brunette flinched and scooched away! "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'm so sorry!" he practically screamed as he desperately apologized, completely mortified and shocked by his own actions with his hands over his mouth. "You went too fast, I wasn't ready!"

"It's fine," Riku groaned as he checked to make sure his nose wasn't broken. "If you're still not sure..." It wasn't broken, but he wasn't sure he could take another hit.

"No, I am. I'm ready!"

"Okay then..." He goes even slower, though closing his eyes was a mistake because he missed Sora hardcore panicking before he got SHOVED backwards, the keyblade master landing flat on his back in the dirt!

"I'm so sorry! Why am I so nervous!? THIS IS SO WEIRD!" The teen clutched his own face, mortified by what he had just done.

"It's...fine..." Riku groaned as he got back up, but his patience is already starting to wear thin.

"One more time! I'll get it right I swear!"

"Are you sure?" Riku asked cautiously as he climbed back onto the tree.

Sora nodded, his fists clenched with determination. "Yeah, I'm sure this time!"

Not taking any chances, Riku reaches and grips Sora's arms to hold them down forcefully at his sides. "Don't bite me," he warned.

Sora's face reddens. "I-I won't." He's shaking in Riku's grip, but he's determined. This time Riku finally kisses him. It's soft and gentle and it only lasts a couple of seconds but to Sora it feels like a lifetime. He felt like his breath was stolen away as the lingering touch of Riku's soft lips felt burned into his own.

Riku pulls away after a moment. He could feel Sora slackening in his grip so he loosened his hold and gently rubbed the seemingly speechless teen's arms. "You okay?"

Sora's eyes suddenly start welling up with tears as he looks up at Riku's concerned face, startling the elder teen into reaching for his hands and clutching them gently. He returned the comforting squeeze with his own grip as he struggled to speak around the tears clogging his throat. "I'm sorry...it's just I really wish I could remember," he sniffled hard, knowing his words were coming out as a blubbering mess but he kept going. "Cuz that was so nice! I wish I remembered what the rest are like!"

"Oh Sora..." Riku whispered sympathetically as he reached one hand to gently brush Sora's cheek with his thumb where the tears were threatening to flow.

The teen released Riku's other hand to fist angrily at his own tears before they could fall. "It feels nice but still feels weird!"

Riku's a little taken aback at that last outburst but he said nothing as Sora continued.

"I hate that I can't remember! I hate that it feels weird because I want to kiss you again but I know it won't feel right!" Sora stammered, finally looking up at Riku, worried that he hurt the other's feelings.

Riku took in a breath and held it for a moment, unsure of how to react to his stammering so instead he chose to wait. "Don't worry," he assured him. "You'll remember soon and then we'll kiss all you want. Just like we always do."

Sora hiccupped as he attempted a weak smile. "Do we...do we kiss like that all the time?"

"Whenever we can," Riku smiled.

"It sounds nice," Sora smiled wetly, as he rubbed his nose on the back of his wrist.

"It is...So what do you think? Better than when we were kids?" the elder teen grinned in an effort to make the other feel better.

"Definitely, but it kinda feels the same, too. Same but different."

Riku thinks he knows what he's getting at because he feels the same...and yet... "What you said...what do you mean by weird?" he asked cautiously.

"It feels wrong," Sora attempted to clarify as he stared down at his feet, completely missing the flinch from Riku. "It's like...like you're not mine. Even if you say you are, I feel like I'm an imposter. It feels like I'm lying to you and I feel bad. Like _this_ isn't meant for me."

Riku sees what he's getting at and lets out a sigh of relief. It hurts but he's glad that's what Sora meant when he said it felt weird. He couldn't help putting a hand over his own chest to calm his racing heart.

Sora looks up again just now realizing the roller coaster he must've put Riku through with his words. He felt guilty for hurting him like this. What if he doesn't ever remember? What would happen to Riku? "What if I don't remember?" he asked.

"You will," Riku assured him gently.

"But what if I don't?" the brunette pushed.

Riku frowned slightly and tore his eyes away from Sora's to look out at the open sea. He has been wondering the same thing but he doesn't think he has the right answer...just the kindest one. "Then we'll start over...but only if you want to. I'm not going anywhere. I just want you to be happy with whatever you decide."

Sora tilted his head, "Decide?"

Riku turned to face him, his heart and his head suddenly feeling heavy...so he rested his forehead against Sora's. "You know...if you still want me or not," he whispered.

Sora's eyes fluttered closed as the other's warm forehead pressed against his, the tears threatening to flow again. "Riku..." he whispered in a voice akin to a soft sob, the sound almost completely drowned out by the passing sea breeze.


	79. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Kairi catch up. Riku's struggling to control his anger over the situation.

"COME ON!!!" Roxas shouted in frustration. "COME ON!! I COULD DO IT BEFORE! I CAN DO IT AGAIN!"

"Roxas, please stop!" Naminé pleaded! She and Vanitas found Roxas struggling to summon a portal of darkness in the woods. Apparently he had been at it for a while after everybody refused to take him to Destiny Islands to see Sora.

"URGH! I don't care what that muscle-head says! I need to see him!" the blonde shouted as he kicked a hole into a nearby tree.

"Nice, if only you were this dedicated to your homework," Vanitas huffed.

"You shut up!" Roxas spat. "AND YOU!" he looked at Naminé with a cold glare that made the other former nobody flinch. "You know something. I know you do!"

Vanitas stood in front of Naminé protectively, "It's not her fault! If you're going to be mad at anybody, be mad at me!"

"Vani..." Naminé clutched his arm. "It's okay, he didn't mean it."

"What's...what's going on here?" Roxas asked in a softer tone, his posture relaxing. "Please, Naminé, tell me."

Naminé looked up at Vanitas who sighed before nodding in submission. "There's something you need to know about Ven..." she started.

* * *

Ven had kept himself locked up in his room for two days, refusing to come out for anyone or anything.

"Ven!" Aqua knocked on the door. "Ven, whatever it is, it'll be okay! We'll figure it out! Just please, open the door!"

"Ven...I know you're upset about Sora. But he wouldn't want you to take it like this. It's nobody's fault but the kids who attacked him," Terra insisted. "At least come out and eat something."

"NO! You don't understand! Just leave me alone!" Ven shouted before throwing a shoe at the door.

The noise startled both the worried adults who indeed backed away from the door, but they weren't ready to give up just yet.

"Fine, just stay there. I'm grabbing you some food and I'll leave it by the door, okay?" Aqua offered.

She was met with silence. "I'll stay here by the door," Terra assured her quietly.

Ven curled up with his knees to his chest on his bed, his body trembling as he struggled to hold back tears. He had cried so much already. It was amazing he had any left.

"Ven..." Chirithy rested its paw on his shin. "It's not your fault. There were just some bad boys. Remember? You were playing with Terra when it happened. You didn't do anything."

Ven shook his head stubbornly. "No. I know something happened," he insisted as he shoved his tears away with the butt of his palm. "I blacked out a few days ago and now this! It has to be my fault. I know it is!"

"Even if something DID happen, it's not because of you! You can't keep blaming yourself!" Chirithy insisted. The little fuzzy creature poofed from sight only to reappear in Ven's lap, forcing itself in there to hug the distraught teen. "I won't let you."

"Chirithy..." Ven sniffled before hugging the adorable spirit. "I can't keep living like this."

"I know, Ven. We'll figure something out. This time, you have good friends who can help you. You just need to believe. Just hang in there."

* * *

"So...you live in a computer and we're...friends?" Sora asked.

"That's right!" TRON smiled from within Sora's gummi phone. At Riku's request, he's been helping Sora explore how to use his phone while at the same time steering him away from anything that might be too upsetting. "So your phone is like a smaller computer that I can connect to you with."

"That's awesome! So tell me about yourself. How did we meet?"

TRON enthused Sora all about their adventures together. He was a little sad at first that Sora didn't seem to remember anything but he did have a fun time talking to what was essentially Sora's younger self, which he had seen before in the datascape, or rather a data version of him. But talking to him this way was a little different somehow, outward appearance aside. He didn't think it was possible for Sora to have even MORE wonder in his eyes but then again users were constantly surprising him.

They spent hours talking together. TRON even had to teach Sora how to charge the phone at one point. He showed him how to access pictures he's taken, how to access the games he downloaded, and even how to listen to his favorite music, which delighted Sora. "I can't wait to see this! I wonder what music I like listening to!"

"Well this is a special kind of music app. It lets you listen to the music conducted by the hearts of others, even if they've never made music before," TRON explained.

"The music of their hearts?" Sora blinked. "Wait, so does this mean I have a song, too?"

"You do! And so does Riku and Kairi! Would you like to listen to them?" the program offered.

"Yes, please!" Sora answered eagerly.

Though he spent hours cheerfully chatting with TRON, Sora's sleeping moments weren't nearly as playful. He found himself drained even if he's slept all night. Even napping has him waking up feeling sore and agitated. His throat feels raw and his mind feels foggy. He'd find his pillow soaking wet and the lingering sounds of unfamiliar voices fading in the back of his mind. By the time he awakens fully, he can no longer remember what he dreamed of. His head would also ache and his stitches still itched like mad, so he attributed it to the head injury and didn't think too hard about it. After all...thinking still hurt.

He was glad he had TRON and Kairi to help him out with his homework. The teacher had been a little more lenient with the homework she assigned him, opting to give him DIFFERENT assignments that didn't require him to remember all the prior ones. That didn't mean they were any easier, as they still required the same amount of work, but at least he wasn't completely lost. He'd have to remember to bring a thank you gift for the extra effort put in by his teacher later. In the meantime, Kairi was still able to help him, but he found it hard to concentrate today. He hadn't seen Riku and he was worried about him. He had found not being around his best friend--er--boyfriend made his chest feel tight. He LONGED to be near him and it was a little scary how much it hurt when he wasn't nearby. But Riku had to be home to see Wakka about his own homework so it couldn't be helped.

After a while, Kairi could see he was distracted so she smiled sweetly and offered her hand. "Come on, let's take a walk."

Together they walked down the sidewalk towards the beach, Sora bouncing happily since he got out of doing his homework while he hummed one of the new songs he learned from Utada Hikaru's heart station. This one song in particular had like ten remixes and he loved all of them, but the bouncier ones were his favorites. "Hm hmm hm hmmm hmm is the way that you're making me hmmm hm hmm it's hard to let it go~"

Kairi giggled as she listened to him. "Well you seem to be in a better mood now."

"I'm just so glad to be out of the house!" Sora whined as he laced his fingers behind his head. "Sorry I wasn't being a very good student today. But I dunno...Riku wasn't around today and I didn't want to go to the play island alone. Plus since everybody else is at school everybody gives me weird looks like they know I'm not supposed to be there. Why can't adults mind their own business?"

Kairi laughed. "Better watch what you say. You're technically an adult now."

"Nuh-uh, not me!" Sora grinned cheekily. "I'm staying a kid forever, apparently!"

"That's not funny, Sora!" Kairi giggled.

"It must be, you're still laughing!" Sora pointed out.

"Totally not!"

"Totally are!"

The two laughed together until they reached the beach and found a bench to sit on as they watched the gentle rise and fall of the waves. The sun was just beginning to set and it sent a wave of nostalgia through Sora. "Kairi..."

"Yeah?"

"Tell me something about us."

"Us?" she tilted her head.

"Yeah, what's something we did together say...this year? Tell me a good memory."

"Hmm...well that's a short window," she giggled. "But I've got a few."

She told him about their vacation together with her parents, something Sora had very little knowledge of since he got the journal from Kairi for his birthday in the middle of the vacation. He had a few ideas of what happened, but it was nice to hear about everything from her point of view.

"It sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I could remember it. But this is nice too," he smiled. "Gimme another!"

"Another?" she laughed.

"Okay, fine, tell me about you!"

"Me?"

"Of course! I can see you've changed. You're so...confident," he found himself blushing, suddenly bashful as he paid her a compliment. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"Wha--Sora! We're in school! We're not supposed to be dating anybody!" she protested, her own cheeks reddening at this line of questioning.

"Then how come me and Riku are--"

"You're an exception!" Kairi raised a finger to shush him before flicking him on the nose. "And it's still a secret, so don't you go blabbing!"

"R-right!" Sora chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, carefully avoiding the stitches. "Sooooo...have you kissed anyone?"

"SORA!"

The brunette laughed and put his hands up in surrender as the redhead looked like she was about to throttle him. "I'm sorry! You don't have to answer that!"

"ARRRRRRRRRRRGH! For your information, I have!"

"Oh really? Who?" Sora leaned in, interest piqued.

"You, you dummy!"

"Wait, so we HAVE kissed? Riku didn't say--"

"Well, to Riku it might not have counted," Kairi interrupted. "But I guess to me...it does."

"Hm?"

She pulled out her phone and showed him the pictures they took of the two of them dressed up as Cinderella and her prince. "Look at this picture."

Sora studied it. He could see that Kairi was dressed masculine and he recognized Riku right away, but who was the girl? "You look great as a prince, Kairi! But...who's the princess?"

"That's Cinderella...and that's you."

"M-me?" Sora blushed as he now noticed his necklace. "It...it really is me."

"Mm-hmm!" She told him all about the play and how funny it was and how much of a stir it caused so when the second performance came around, the class decided for them that something else should be added and that's how it was decided that there should be a kiss between them. "I was so nervous, but you cheered me up," Kairi explained.

"Me?" Sora blinked as he pointed at himself.

Kairi smiled, "You can be a real charmer when you want to be, Sora."

"Yeah right," Sora laughed. Nobody's ever told him that...except Riku...yesterday. Wait...

"No, it's true. Do you want to know what you told me?"

"Uh...sure?"

She scooted closer to Sora on the bench and held his hand while reaching to cup his cheek with the other. "You held me in your arms and leaned in close. I said there was no way I could hold you up like that and you said "Yes, you can. You lifted me yesterday. You can do this." And then..."

Sora's eyes widened as she leaned in closer, their noses barely inches apart. He felt the heat rising in his face against the warm palm on his cheek. Her hands felt so soft and her voice...he swallowed hard but he was so captivated he couldn't bring himself to move away as she locked her eyes with his.

"Then you told me...if I was scared, to pretend I was holding the most precious thing in the world. And then you kissed me and said to do it just like that," she smiled.

Sora swallowed hard. "I'm...sorry..." he whispered. "That must've been hard."

Kairi pulled away, "What do you mean?"

"UH! I MEAN!" he scooted back away, almost falling off the bench in his haste. "Shoot, I'm sorry! I didn't mean how that sounded." He clenched his fists in his lap in embarrassment, knowing he must've sounded really pompous. "I didn't mean like _Oooh it must've been so hard_ like you weren't over me or something. I swear, that's not what I meant."

Kairi covered her mouth to contain her laughter. "I mean, you aren't wrong! But I appreciate that you feel the need to apologize."

"Wait, I'm not wrong?" Sora looked up.

"It was hard...in a way. I liked you, Sora and I'm happy for you and Riku, I truly am. But...I'll admit, I was happy. It was nice pretending to be your prince, even if it was only for a little while. I'll treasure that memory forever."

"Kairi..."

From his balcony, Riku stretched as he took in the sunset. Wakka had just left and his hand cramped from all the note-taking but he was satisfied with how much he was able to take in. Wakka might not be the greatest at school work but at least his notes were consistent. He really was a reliable friend. He even listened to him vent for a little bit. By now, Wakka had been made aware of the situation with Sora and the blitzball captain was very sympathetic, but he also told Riku not to lose heart. After all, he had a friend who got his bell rung really good last year and it took him over a week to even remember how to tie his shoes. Riku wanted to argue that this was a little more serious than forgetting how to tie one's shoes, but he appreciated the sentiment all the same.

He did feel a little guilty about not seeing Sora today but he had a lot of calls to make and frankly it wore him out. He just needed a little time to himself to sort out his own thoughts. He'll make it up to him tomorrow. But just as he thought this, he noticed a couple sitting at the beach across the way and felt his heart stop. He recognized that hair and that spiky head anywhere and Kairi was leaning in awfully close. He found himself gripping the railing and tried to calm himself. After all, he trusted Kairi...right? He sighed and shook his head before quickly going back inside, hating himself for acting this way. "I should eat something...I'm getting cranky."

Back on the beach, Kairi decided she should be heading back, "I need to help my mom make dinner."

"You go on ahead. I'm going to stay out here for a bit," Sora insisted.

"Okay. Good night, Sora. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Kairi. See you," he smiled and waved as she walked away.

"Maybe...I should've walked her back," he thought to himself as he stared out at the ocean. "Some gentleman I am," he huffed.

Roxas tumbled out of his half-baked darkness portal and into a bush on the beach. He made it, but the landing needs work! "Ha! I told him I could do it! In your face, Vani!" he chuckled happily to himself as he brushed the sand off his pants. But before he could celebrate entirely, he noticed there was somebody else already at the beach and stiffened. "Shit, did they see me?" He was tempted to dive back into the bushes, but then he recognized who it was!

Sora was just getting up from the bench to walk back home when he saw a blonde teenager he didn't recognize next to the bushes beside the sidewalk. _Is he staring at me? Weirdo._ He tried not to pay him too much mind, but he had to walk past him to get back to the sidewalk so he at least nodded politely as he tried to pass. However...when they made eye contact he stopped. Something was awfully familiar about him. Now HE felt like the weirdo as he studied the other's face. It felt like a mirror reflection of his own.

Roxas felt his heart leap as Sora stopped and stared at him. "Sora?"

Sora blinked, "Wait, you know my name?"

"Oh...sorry. Maybe I should just go..." Roxas made to walk away. He had hoped to see Riku first. He hadn't counted on running into Sora like this.

"Wait, your voice!"

"You remember me?" Roxas stopped and looked at him hopefully.

"I'm not sure," Sora shook his head minutely and put a hand over his heart, recalling the squeezing feeling he felt so long ago when he was a child. "It's just I remember a voice from when I was really little."

Roxas sighed. "Oh, I know who you're talking about. But no, I'm not him."

Sora looked up hopefully, "Is the other one around, though? Is he okay?" He's noticed this hollow, empty feeling but he thought it was just from not being able to remember anything. But there's something else missing...something he can't place.

"Yes, he's doing great," Roxas smiled. "You helped him."

"I did?" Sora smiled back, "That's good. I'm happy to hear that." He studied the blonde closer. "Did I...help you too?"

"You did, Sora," the blonde answered softly as tears threatened to choke him. "You've helped so many."

Sora inched closer. "What's your name?"

"My name is--"

"ROXAS!" Riku shouted.

Roxas nearly leaped out of his own skin as he spun around to see Riku standing from atop the sandy hill. "I told you not to come here!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Roxas shouted back.

"Riku! Riku, what's going on?" Sora asked.

"Go home, Sora. I need to talk to Roxas alone," Riku commanded.

"But Riku!"

"SORA!" the silverette snapped. "Please!"

"ARGH! FINE!" Sora snapped back, stomping back up the sidewalk to hurry home. He didn't want to look at Riku's dumb face anyway!

Roxas watched him go, tempted to run after him, but he had a bone to pick with Riku first. "You didn't have to do that!"

Riku approached the blonde and grabbed him by the collar threateningly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed icily.

"Calm your man tits! I meant to see you first!" Roxas explained as he shoved the other back. "Vani told me all about Ven!"

"So what? I couldn't care less about Darkness right now!"

"No, but that's just it! I think Darkness has a hand in this!" Roxas tried to explain. "If you'd just cool your jets for two seconds--"

"HOW CAN I BE EXPECTED TO?" Riku shouted. "You think this is easy? It's hard enough explaining things as it is! And what's more, he doesn't seem to believe anything I tell him! I don't know what to do!"

Roxas studied the other's dark green eyes. "Wait...you're blaming yourself for this, aren't you?"

"We were happy!" Riku cried out. It was too much. It was all too much. Just when he thinks he and Sora can just relax and not worry, there's always SOMETHING. They didn't choose this life. Why did this have to happen?

"I know! You need to chill, this isn't like you!" Roxas closes the space between them to hug Riku tightly, the taller teen flinching as if he wanted to throw him off, but he kept a firm hold, almost digging his fists into the other's lower back until he calmed. Slowly he felt Riku lean over him and return the embrace, the both of them relaxing. "Aren't you tired of blaming yourself for everything?" he asked softly.

"Yes...I'm so tired," Riku whispered as he tried not to cry. Even though Sora was the one who got hurt, he ached so much. He felt guilty for focusing so much on himself but he yearned for the Sora who remembers what they have. He felt pathetic. It's only been three days but he longed for him so much. He pulls back after a moment to look at Roxas and feels his chest tighten harder as he sees Sora's eyes in Roxas.

Roxas pulls away and notices the longing in Riku's eyes. They're very close together and his own heart is racing. "Please don't look at me like that," he whispers.

"Sorry." He turns his eyes downcast, slightly ashamed.

Roxas sighs sympathetically and stands on his toes to kiss the taller male's forehead. "Hang in there. We'll get your Sora back."


	80. An Itch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku's heart longs for Sora. Meanwhile the other teen's nightmares have been getting out of hand so it's back to the treehouse for the both of them.

Riku felt terrible about yelling at Sora. He had picked up the gummi phone multiple times to call him, even thought about just walking over to his place to apologize but he didn't know how to explain his behavior. He really didn't have a good excuse, nor should he be excused, he told himself. Maybe he deserved for Sora to be mad at him for a little while longer. So he slept on it. The next morning, he was awakened by a phone call from Sora's mother.

"Hello?"

"Riku, honey, do you have a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"It's Sora...I hate to bother you and I can't believe I'm asking this but do you think you could take him to the treehouse for a couple of days?" she asked.

"Uh, sure. Why? Is something wrong?"

"His nightmares are back and they're terrible. His father and I haven't slept in three days. I don't know what else to do," she explained meekly.

"Oh! Oh, right. I'll come over and pick him up."

"Thank you, dear!"

"No problem."

When he did come over to pick him up, Sora looked happy to see him, despite everything. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah! But Mom wouldn't tell me where we're going!" Sora explained as he grabbed his school bag and knapsack.

Riku couldn't help smiling. "You mean she didn't tell you about the super duper big surprise?"

Sora's face lit up. "Wait, is it really that big of a surprise?"

"It sure is!"

"Well then let's go! Don't keep me in suspense!"

"I dunnooooooooo, maybe you can wait a little longer. Did you eat breakfast?"

Sora's face screwed up in a pout, patience already wearing thin. "Of course!"

"Pack plenty of clothes?"

"YES!"

"Got your homework?"

"YES, YES, A MILLION TIMES YES! LET'S GO!" Sora whined impatiently as he started shoving Riku forcefully at the door, the silverette cackling the entire way.

When Riku took Sora to a warp sphere, the brunette seemed lost for words.

"Well, give me your hand," Riku held his out.

"What's that thing?" Sora asked as he tentatively accepted Riku's hand.

"A shortcut," the keyblade master said simply before they disappeared in a flash of light.

When Sora opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in front of a gigantic tree with the most intricate treehouse he's ever seen in his entire life! Just how high did this thing go? Four stories? Five stories? He really couldn't tell from here! "What is this place, Riku?" he asked in complete awe.

"This is our house," Riku chuckled, just taking in the look of amazement on Sora's face and memorizing every detail.

"Wait, OUR house? Like, yours and mine?" Sora's eyes got impossibly wider as he rubbernecked to look at Riku. "Really?"

"That's right!" Riku laughed.

"Can I look around?"

"Of course! Go on ahead!" Riku playfully shoved a hand into his back to get him going as he grabbed their bags. "Just don't fall! It's a long way down!"

The excited brunette paid him little to no mind as he dashed up the winding staircases, poking his head in every room he could find. In just about every room, he found objects that he actually recognized. The items missing from his bedroom that he had been looking for; they're all here! His favorite throw pillow was on the couch. His stuffed otter that he's had since he was a baby was nestled next to a stuffed baby penguin in an overstuffed armchair. His favorite collection of fairy tales was on a bookshelf next to what looked like a large photo album. He found more of his clothes in a laundry hamper. The more he saw, the more it actually sunk in that this wasn't just a place they hung out together...this was a HOME!

When the realization came to him, he slowed his roll, grabbing his stuffed otter and his new penguin friend to hold as he explored the house at a slower pace, taking in all the sights and little details. In the kitchen, he ran his fingers over the smooth countertop, fascinated by the glinting materials sealed inside that matched the knobs on the cabinets. Everything looked homemade or salvaged. There was a rustic and warm feel to everything. He could immediately tell just by the colors what came from his or Riku's tastes. He even recognized the folding kitchen table as something his dad would've made. He's seen the technique applied to the tables he made for boats so many times. He found a box full of recipes written in his own handwriting. Even the silverware was arranged how it would be in Riku's house.

The bathrooms were even a sight to behold. Natural light poured in through the ceilings and tall windows. The floors were made of stone and branches and ivy peeked in through every crevice that they could. The claw-footed bathtubs were big enough for two people to lounge in and the large glass showers were lined with polished bamboo and outlined with potted plants with the shower head hanging directly above. "I bet it feels like a waterfall," Sora mused to himself dreamily as the crystal ornaments in the windows splashed speckles of colorful light across his face. Footsteps downstairs stirred him from his musings and he moved on, passing through the living room once more before finding himself in what must've been a den or study room or something? He wasn't quite sure, but it had a short table surrounded by plush cushions and the other half of the room seemed to be taken up by a giant bean bag chair? There was also a mini fridge and a TV with a video game console that he recognized from Riku's house. The arrangement made him smile and he couldn't resist taking a big flop into the giant chair before moving on.

Then there was the bedroom and boy did it nearly take his breath away! There was a beautiful four poster bed with white sheets underneath a skylight. Flowering ivy plants had wrapped themselves around the posts to reach for the light and thin white curtains hanging from it billowed gently in the light breeze coming in from a small open window. Above his head the tinkling of chimes could be heard and he looked up to see a mobile made of...keychains? He didn't know how else to describe them. There was a writing desk and a chest of drawers and a large wooden wardrobe and his fingers ITCHED to dig through them but he knew he'd have plenty of time to look later. Big surprise there was another bathroom that looked even better than the last and he didn't think that was possible. In this bathroom, it seemed closer to the side of the cliff so he could hear the faraway sounds of the waterfall on the cliffside which gave the room a special kind of ambiance that the other didn't have.

Round and round he went. Some rooms were still empty and some were being used for storage. He wondered what plans they had for these rooms. Eventually he found himself back outside on a deck with a gorgeous view of the beach and from here he could actually get a grasp of how high up he was. The view made happy butterflies flutter in his stomach as he clutched his stuffed animals to his chest. He's seen plenty of beaches on this island before. But something about this view really took his breath away. "Is this really all ours?" he whispered to the wind.

"It is," Riku answered from behind him. "Do you like it?"

Sora turned around to see Riku smiling at him. "It's amazing," he smiled back. "I just...I still can't believe it."

Riku offered his hand. "Well, come on, I'll tell you all about it then."

The brunette smiled widely and took his hand. "Story time?"

"Story time," the silverette chuckled.

Together the two nestled into the couch in the main living room, the giant red album that Sora noticed earlier open in Riku's lap. First he told him about his grandfather's passing and how they came to building the treehouse.

"I'm really sorry to hear about your grandfather," Sora said. "I know you loved him a lot."

"It's fine. I heard from my relatives he went peacefully, so I can only be glad for that. He wasn't in a good way, you might remember, but I did get to see him a few times before he passed. He even remembered me a couple of times," he smiled.

"Really? That's good. I'm glad," Sora smiled back.

Riku wondered if maybe that's why he was taking Sora's amnesia so hard...why Sora not remembering anything sent stabbing needle pains into his chest whenever he looked at him. Oh well, that didn't matter right now. For now all he could do was answer any questions Sora might have and be as patient as possible. "So I'm sure you must have a lot of questions about, you know, everything else?" he asked as he turned the pages open to the deeper contents of the album where there are pictures of the two of them posed with their keyblades.

"Well actually I--AAAH!!!" Sora suddenly leapt up as something fuzzy brushed against his ankles. "WHAT IS THAT!?"

Riku knelt down and pulled out their now very chubby cat. "This is Roxas!"

"Wait, THIS is Roxas?" Sora blinked as he set down his stuffed animals and accepted the live one who was wriggling in Riku's grip. "He looks more like a Donut to me!" he laughed, pointing out the black ring on the cat's otherwise white waist. "It looks like a pool inner tube!" he cooed.

Riku's face brightened. "Well, that IS what you call him. But I call him Roxas. He likes red and he annoys me," he explained simply before sitting back down with their album.

Sora giggled and sat down with the meowing kitty in his lap, scooting close to Riku so he can look at the album too. "I'll be honest, Riku, I don't really have a lot of questions about the keyblade thing. It's...not that I don't care. I just did a lot of reading on my own from the journals on my phone and if I think too much more about it, it makes my head hurt."

"Oh, I see. That's fine. We don't have to talk about that if you don't want to. I just feel bad that I didn't talk to you yesterday. I should be more accommodating. I guess this is just hard for me too," he admitted.

Sora felt his chest get impossibly tight. "Please, Riku, I'm sorry. I'm trying so hard."

"What--?" Riku lifted his head to see Sora's eyes welling up with tears!

"Please, don't be sad!"

"It's not your fault, Sora!" the silverette insisted as he put a hand on the teen's shoulder and grabbed a tissue from the side table with another.

"Yes it is! I'm hurting you! But I promise, I'm doing the best I can! I WILL remember you, the one you want me to see, I promise. So please, wait for me!" he begged as he blew his nose into the offered tissue.

"I know you will, Sora," Riku assured him softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

His little outburst made him feel better, as did the warmth of Riku's hand on his shoulder. But blowing his nose reminded Sora how much his head hurt. "My head itches," he mumbled.

"Don't scratch it," Riku reminded him.

"I'm trying," Sora sniffled. "Some great keyblade master I am. If I'm so great, how come I missed that rock?"

"Hey, if it's anybody's fault for missing it, it's mine. You were worried about your mom and I was supposed to back you up."

"NO, don't think like that!" Sora shouted, startling the older teen into nearly dropping the album. "It's not fair that you think you have to protect me all the time! You're too hard on yourself!"

"By the way, you ARE perfectly capable of looking after yourself. You are strong and I know that. I just like being the one to help you when you need it," Riku explained. "That's my role; just as you have helped me and believed in me when I was at my lowest."

Sora's still visibly upset. He doesn't think he's worth Riku's pain. "WHY? What do you see in me when surely you can have anybody you want? I thought I annoyed you. Always following you around...The other kids used to make fun of me, you know. They would ask _Where's your precious Riku? Are you looking for Riku? Always on Riku's heels aren't you?_ I thought maybe you got tired of it too."

Donut jumps off of Sora's lap in favor of chasing an ant across the woven carpet.

"Sora, I've never thought of you as a tag-a-long or anything like that," Riku assured him, scooting closer to him now that Donut wasn't taking up all the real estate on the couch. "You were and always will be my best friend. That's never changed. Maybe we got competitive but we were always making each other better. You made me want to be the best that I could be. I guess I loved being the center of your attention, therefore you're the center of mine."

"But everybody likes you," Sora stammered bashfully, now feeling extremely warm being this close to Riku. "It wasn't just me."

"Yes, but you saw ME for who I really was...and somehow still liked me for it." He laughs and gives Sora a playful one-armed shove. "You've always actually made me FEEL special, Sora. When it comes from you, I believe it. I only hope that when I tell you that, you believe me as well."

Sora stares down at his hands. He feels like he's about to cry some more, but he's trying to laugh instead. "When did you get so sappy, Riku?" he managed to croak.

Riku smiled and simply said, "I blame you."

Sora asks more questions about THEM. Riku notices he seems more invested in remembering their relationship than the whole keyblade thing and it makes him feel so warm. But in a a weird way it also makes sense. After all, you could say their relationship is a big part of how the whole thing came to be in the first place.

"Are we an insufferable couple?" the brunette jokingly asks as he flips through the pages of the album with Riku, smiling at the pictures of them in a field of flowers.

Riku chuckled warmly as he also smiled fondly at the pictures. "Depends who you ask. Kairi says people thought we were insufferable BEFORE we started dating."

Sora snickers. "Yeah, I guess we were."

"We've kept it on the down low around other people because of school rules and stuff but I guess it's all in our eyes and how we talk. Apparently we aren't fooling anybody," Riku huffed.

"How we talk, huh? Do we have cute nicknames for each other or something?" Sora grinned cheekily.

Riku finds it hard to answer and ponders thoughtfully. "I wouldn't call them nicknames, it's just we have little greetings, or things you say to tease me."

Sora blinked in surprise, not really expecting Riku to answer but it did SOUND like them so he nodded. "I guess that makes sense. I can see that for us."

"You still call me a jerk sometimes," Riku laughs. "But I dunno, everything we do seems cheesy out of context. I don't know if I can just say it."

Sora leaned in, his tone teasing, "Does anybody else know these names?"

"Nope," Riku grinned. "For our ears only."

"Then we can be as cheesy as we want," Sora grinned as well. "So tell me. Give me the context too."

"Are you sure? I don't know if you'd be able to handle it," the silverette teased. Sora was playing a dangerous game here and he was tempted to let him.

"What, will I explode?" the brunette pouted.

"Maybe!" Riku laughed.

"Come on, Riku, please? I'm super curious now!" the younger teen whined!

The bridge of Riku's nose turns a little red but he sighs and sets the album aside to pull Sora into his lap. He expected Sora to protest, but after a moment, the teen did relax. Now he had him just where he wanted him. "Well, when you like to tease me, you call me your pretty prince."

Sora blinked in confusion, turning and adjusting his legs so that they laid across Riku's thigh so he could look at him better. "Where did that come from? You HATE it when people call you pretty!"

"I'm not sure," Riku admitted. "It used to be sexy beast then somewhere along the way you started calling me your pretty prince. But...I don't mind it."

Sora grinned through the blush growing on his own cheeks. He's got it now. "Only I'm allowed to call you pretty."

Riku nudged him affectionately with a little wink, "That's right."

"What else?" Sora egged on, now finding himself incredibly relaxed as he let his head rest on Riku's chest. It felt like he fit here in Riku's arms perfectly and he wasn't going to deny it felt really comfortable.

Riku hummed thoughtfully to himself as he traced an idle pattern into Sora's back over his t-shirt, careful to avoid the scars he had long since memorized. "Well, when we greet each other in the mornings, you call me handsome and I call you beautiful."

Sora straightened up with a face of slight disapproval, "Wait, how am I beautiful? Am I not handsome too?"

"Well think of it this way," Riku smiled warmly as he cupped that pouty chin with the crook of his index finger. "Would you describe a sunrise as beautiful or handsome?"

Sora's heart fluttered impossibly fast in his chest. "Aww...Riku." He could see where pretty prince came from now. "That's totally something a prince would say."

"You think so, huh?" the elder teen smirked and released his chin.

"But...I still think it sounds a little weird. I can't really picture it," Sora admitted.

"Hm, well let me help you, then." Riku smirked before leaning his face really close to Sora's ear and whispered, "Good morning, beautiful."

Sora's face flushed as Riku's face got incredibly close to his. Even before he spoke his spine tingled as he felt his warm breath against his ear. As he whispered, he could feel the barest tips of his lips brush against the sensitive shell of his ear and OH HIS VOICE! That silky whisper of his elicited visions of waking up in the morning next to each other IN BED and lingering glances over breakfast and even greeting each other in an empty doorway before dawn to be followed up by secret kisses. Whether these were memories or his own vivid imagination, he wasn't sure, but they left him trembling in Riku's gentle grasp.

Riku could feel the heat rising in Sora's face and the quaking in his body didn't escape his notice. It was so cute he couldn't resist teasing him just a little more and he knew just how to do it, too. "There's one more thing," he whispered.

"W-what's that?" Sora asked in a voice akin to a whimper.

"Baby..." he whispered in an even softer tone than before, trying to fight back his own blushing as he says the simple two-syllable word that only gets uttered in their most private moments.

Sora failed to hold back a tiny gasp, his mouth agape as something hot courses through his whole body and shoots down to his lower regions almost painfully so. He's trembling even harder, his eyes closing as he feels Riku's teeth drag gently along his earlobe, across his jawline, and finally his soft lips meet his in a searing kiss. His body felt so hot so fast. He found himself melting in Riku's arms and his lips parting ever so slightly, afraid but curious. Riku caressed his cheek softly and took the opening, holding him close as his tongue slipped inside. He couldn't help the moan that escaped him as Riku slowly explored his mouth, his own tongue fumbling as he tried to keep up with him. It was hot. Too hot. It was all too much! He gripped at Riku's shirt as he resisted the urge to pull away from the intense kiss. He didn't know what to do!

Riku felt Sora shaking and when he felt his hand grip his shirt, he knew he had crossed some line. He slowly pulled away to see Sora's eyes reddening as they threatened to once again well up with tears. "Sora...?"

"I-I'm sorry. It's just...you're so big, Riku!" Sora blubbered.

The silverette blinked in confusion. _What does he mean by that?_ That's when it hit him...Sora really does think he's fourteen. "Oh Sora...I'm so sorry..." he apologized and hugged him tightly, placing an apologetic kiss on his forehead. "I didn't think..."

"Please don't be sad, Riku. I liked it, I promise!" Sora insisted as he buried his face into Riku's chest, accepting the apologetic hug as he returned it in kind.

Riku shook his head, burying his face into Sora's spiky locks. He didn't think about how scary this really must've been for Sora, not to this extent at least. Even with their slight age difference, he's never thought of Sora as too young to do anything, with the exception of some technicalities. Now here he is, the biggest Sora's ever been and yet he seems so small. It really wasn't fair to him. To Sora, EVERYBODY must be so big; everything must look so scary and he's been putting on a brave face this whole time. It made Riku feel rotten.

Sora sniffled into his shirt for a few moments, upset that he hurt Riku again. But when he finally lifted his head again to look at Riku, he had a smile on his face, "The girls must hate me."

Riku pulled back to look at him and used his thumbs to wipe away the tear streaks on the brunette's cheeks. "Why do you say that?"

"Because look at you...and you're with me," Sora giggled wetly.

Riku couldn't help laughing despite himself. "Actually, you'd be surprised. We apparently have a fan club."

Sora gasped, "WE DO!?"

After that, Riku made the two of them lunch: sandwiches, of course. For the rest of the day, they watered and weeded the herb garden. Sora was more than happy to help, happy to feel useful after being cooped up for the past couple of days. There was a silent agreement not to talk about the other stuff for a while as they just enjoyed each other's company. But when he started singing "Simple and Clean" he knew he made Riku sad again somehow, so he stopped, opting to hum something else instead. After that, there was a sort of awkwardness between them that didn't dissipate until Kairi arrived with their homework. Apparently she knew how to use that weird warpy thingy too!

This time, Kairi had both their homework with her, since Wakka of course had to lead blitzball practice. But it was fine; the notes were what Riku really needed. Together the three talked about Kairi's day, asked how school was going and she asked how they were doing. According to Kairi, the school was abuzz with rumors about the whole fiasco but their friends sent their best wishes to Sora and wished him a speedy recovery.

"Guess something like this couldn't be kept under wraps for too long," Riku sighed. He didn't really expect it to be, but he figured with all three assailants having prominent positions in the sports teams that the school would've tried to pull something to keep the whole thing quiet, all for the sake of the students, _of course_.

"I heard the girls saying that the guys have been talking about doing this for over a week before it happened. They only did it when they got the pitcher roped into it at the last minute. Apparently the pitcher's sweetheart refused to date him because she said that if you two weren't allowed to date, then they shouldn't either," Kairi explained. "Apparently she's part of your fan club."

"Aww, that's kind of sweet," Sora cooed as he copied Kairi's notes diligently.

"So...she wanted to follow school rules and he came after US? Great, just great," Riku huffed as he gripped his pencil so tightly it nearly broke. "Idiots will blame anybody for anything!"

Kairi sympathetically put an arm on his shoulder in an effort to calm him. "This is probably why they told you two not to come to school for the week," she said gently.

Riku sighed and grabbed his eraser to fix the pencil marks he made. "Yeah, probably," he admitted darkly.

"Are the other guys suspended, besides the other three?" Sora asked.

Kairi and Riku looked at him. "Wait, Sora, do you actually remember?" Riku asked.

Sora reached a hand to his head to grip at his hair, again resisting the urge to scratch his stitches. "Ugh...a little? I just feel like there have to have been more than three. How would that rock have hit my house on my right if those guys were throwing rocks at us from the south?"

Kairi frowned, "You're right, Sora. But no, nobody else has been accused, as far as we know."

"The cops haven't said anything either," Riku added bitterly. "Even if they did, I don't think either of us would've been able to identify them. Those slingshots they were using allowed them to hit us from pretty far away. I only got the other three because I was fast enough to catch them."

Sora rested his chin on his palm thoughtfully. "I wonder..."

"We should probably get back to our homework," Kairi suggested.

After Kairi left for the evening, the two made dinner, changed into their PJs, and watched a movie before bed. But just as Riku was about to suggest they turn in for the night, he noticed Sora didn't look to eager to go to bed just yet. In fact, he longingly looked at the TV again. "Do you want to watch one more movie?" Riku asked.

Sora nodded eagerly, flopping back into the poufy yellow monstrosity. "You can pick this time!"

Riku smiled helplessly and picked a random movie from the shelf before settling back down into the giant yellow pouf beside him, the smaller teen curling up into his side automatically as the title began to play.

As the movie played, Riku pulled his quilt over them and got cozy with Sora as they watched a movie about a dog who thinks he's a superhero because he plays one for a TV show. While Sora seemed pretty invested, Riku couldn't bring himself to keep his eyes open much longer after the first thirty minutes and fell asleep. An hour later, he felt Sora stirring against him and woke up to find the brunette had fallen asleep as well and the credits were rolling. Riku assessed this sleeping arrangement and decided it was worth the potential backache if it meant Sora could sleep peacefully, so he reached for the remote and turned off the TV before settling in again and pressing a soft kiss to Sora's forehead. "Good night, Sora" he whispered. "I love you."

Sora's fingers curled in his sleep, his lips twitching minutely into a small smile as if they desperately wanted to say, "I love you, too."


	81. Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku flies to La Cité des Cloches to seek answers.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if You can hear me  
> Or if You're even there  
> I don't know if You would listen  
> To a gypsy's prayer
> 
> Yes, I know I'm just an outcast  
> I shouldn't speak to You  
> Still I see Your face and wonder  
> Were You once an outcast too?
> 
> God help the outcasts  
> Hungry from birth  
> Show them the mercy  
> They don't find on earth
> 
> The lost and forgotten  
> They look to You still  
> God help the outcasts  
> Or nobody will
> 
> I ask for wealth, I ask for fame  
> I ask for glory to rise on my name  
> I ask for all I can possess  
> I ask for God and the angels to bless me
> 
> I ask for nothing  
> I can get by  
> But I know so many  
> Less lucky than I
> 
> God help the outcasts  
> The poor and downtrod  
> I thought we all were  
> The children of God
> 
> -"God Help the Outcasts"  
> The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The light of Sora's heart station feels so far away. It's closer than before but still out of reach, as distant as a summer's moon. From his own heart station, Riku looked up at the light in dismay, having attempted the dive many times already so that he may reach Sora's dreams, only to come right back to where he started. At least he can still see it from here, the little hope a small consolation as he struggled to get to his feet. 

"Just one more time," he told himself as he summoned Braveheart once more. But then he saw a twinkling before him. Tiny little blue orbs shimmered in the light to form the outline of Starlight Sora! "Sora!" he cried out, so relieved to see him that he rushed to give the silverlight being a hug, which the sprite returned warmly. The teen set aside his self-imposed mission for just a moment to catch up, pulling away to study the other's face. "I've missed you! I hadn't seen you since...well, you know. But wait, why are you _here_? I've never seen you in my heart station before. Unless...am I dreaming of my own heart station?"

He looks to Starlight Sora for answers. After all, the last time he even saw the dream version of his best friend, he was pounding through an invisible barrier in a watery nightscape and then the next time he saw him, he was made solid and was being chased by Yozora. He was due for an explanation...if there was even one to be had. He _is_ dreaming, after all. The star sprite simply smiles at him, hands clasped behind his back as he rocks on the balls of his feet as if waiting for Riku to come to the answer himself.

"Wait..." Suddenly it just clicked. "You weren't trapped behind a barrier...you were breaking it down, weren't you?"

The Sora before him broke into a wide, proud smile.

"I get it now. You were helping the other timeline's Sora reach out to us, to me and the other Riku. But how is that possible? Aren't you just a figment of my imagination?" the bewildered teen asked.

Of course, Starlight Sora acts all offended, puffing out his cheeks with his fists on his hips before relaxing and letting out a silent merry laugh. He then looks up at Riku and points to himself before mouthing the words, "I am your wish."

"My wish?" Riku asks. "Do you mean..." Of course, he means BOTH Riku's wishes. After all, Starlight Sora existed for him even before the timeline split. That means this Sora is a culmination of BOTH their wishes, so naturally Sora's cries would reach BOTH of them. He looked to his right. He could see something he'd never noticed before. A reflection...no...a copy of his own heart station and another Riku, both of them standing before their own dream Sora. But what was it really? A parallel Riku? A Riku still desperately searching, reaching for Sora like he is now?

Suddenly his sight is flooded by a vision of the tiny piece of Sora's heart that had been taken by Black Crystal Sora as he fades away to the Final World. It meets with a bare outline of the Sora who must be from the other timeline--a Sora who was fading away to nothing, merely kept alive by the hopes, memories, and prayers of his friends: a wish. The tiny piece of Sora's heart unites with him, and gives him life.

_"At least I'm all here..."_

The vision fades away and Riku is left with a dizzying revelation. He clutches his head as he tries to take it all in before it fades. "So if the other Riku's "wish", meaning YOU," he pointed to the still-smiling sprite, "Met with that Dark Crystal Sora's heart piece and combined, it would be able to communicate with me. Which is how I saw the other Sora in my last dream, right?"

Starlight Sora nodded happily and clapped his hands together in congratulations.

"Urgh, this is something that would truly only make sense if I were dreaming!" Riku groaned in agitation. "But why are you showing me this now? Never mind, that doesn't matter."

The star sprite puffed his cheeks out again and stomped his foot as if to say this DOES matter, crossing his arms in clear aggravation.

"I'm sorry," Riku apologized. "I really am. But I'm trying to reach MY Sora, too." He pointed up at the heart station so far above his. "He's lost his memory and I'm afraid it might have damaged our connection. He needs me, but I can't help him."

Sora tilted his mouth and rolled his eyes before grabbing his hand and pulling him upwards, the both of them levitating a fair distance above Riku's heart station before he stopped and pointed back down.

Riku stared at the other in confusion. "I don't get it. What are you trying to show me?"

The starlight being tugged his hand HARD and POINTED again at his heart station before drawing a large invisible circle around it with his index finger.

"Me? Or are you pointing at the glass?"

Sora raised both hands in the air triumphantly like "YES, YOU GOT IT!" but the second he let go of Riku's hand, Riku FELL! "WHOOOOOOOOA!!" he cried out as he fell into nothing.

"Riku! Riku, you're hurting me!"

The keyblade master wakes up with a start to find himself clutching tightly onto Sora. He quickly loosens his grip, apologizing profusely as he tries to get a grasp on reality after waking up so suddenly.

"It's okay, it's okay," Sora tried to assuage him only to stop when he notices Riku's eyes are glowing a bright yellow. "R-Riku...your eyes!"

"Huh?" Riku stops apologizing. "I'm sorry, I just--"

"Why are they yellow?" Sora interrupted in a shaky voice.

The silverette's heart sank, "Do they...do they scare you?"

Sora shook his head, "YOU don't scare me, Riku. It's just...I've seen a lot of yellow eyes in my dreams. But yours aren't like that."

The elder teen let out a sigh of relief and pressed a kiss to Sora's forehead who wrapped his arms around him in kind. "I'm sorry I woke you," he apologized again.

"It's fine, but are you okay?" Sora whispered.

"I'm fine. Maybe we should get actually get to bed. It'd probably be more comfortable."

Sora shakes his head and rests his head back in the crook of Riku's neck. "I'm fine right where I am," he whispers before drifting back off to sleep.

Riku could feel his heart breaking as Sora's warmth settles back against him. Even after this, Sora chooses to trust him. It breaks him but also pieces him back together. It's enough to help him fall back asleep.

When Sora awakes the next morning, Riku is gone. "Where'd he go?" Sora grumbled, wiping blearily at his eyes as he wandered around the empty house. "Did he just leave me here? No note or anything?" He grabbed his gummi phone and tried to text him but got no response. "Guess...I'll raid the fridge then."

He lazed about for most of the morning after eating most of the food in the fridge out of sheer spite while waiting for Riku to answer. What was he even expected to do with only Donut and TRON to keep him company? He barely even bothered to change out of his pajamas as he pouted in the study room and played video games in the yellow squishy thing. Finally, around noon, he got a text, but it was from Kairi saying she was on her way.

Happy to have some company, Sora ran down the stairs eagerly to greet her. "Kairi!"

"Hey, Sora! Wait, where's Riku?" she asked.

"He's not here!" Sora pouted. "He left this morning without saying anything! And he won't answer his phone!"

"That's...not like him," Kairi pondered. "Well, I'm sure he'll be back soon. He probably didn't want you to feel left out or something."

"Well if that was his intention, he failed miserably." He stuck his tongue out, earning a laugh from Kairi.

"Come on, I got the last of your homework for the week. We can work on it and beat him up when he gets back," she giggled.

"Sounds like a plan!" Sora brightened.

* * *

Riku woke up knowing what he had to do. The vision of stained glass in his dreams told him he had to go to the Cathedral in La Cité des Cloches, a world that he and Sora woke up during their Mark of Mastery exam. He hadn't been there since then, so he was sure things were going to be different than from what he saw the last time he was there...hopefully.

When he arrived, he decided to stay dressed in his keyblade armor. He figured it'd draw less attention than his other clothes, as he could see other individuals dressed in armor as well. That being said, his silver armor gleamed like no other, so he still drew SOME attention as he entered the nave of the grand cathedral.

He removes his helmet as he gazes up at the intricately ornate stained glass. "It's just as beautiful as I remember," he whispers in awe, taking slow steps forward to get a closer look, his footsteps slow and cautious to make as little noise as possible. In his ears, he hears the whispers of others as they kneel in prayer, whispers and hopes for wealth, fame, but also for good health and forgiveness. Amongst them, he hears the whispers of a faraway voice that he recognized but it was more like a fleeting memory, a song pleading for acceptance and mercy.

He found himself amongst rows of empty pews and dared to take a seat, his helmet in his lap as he stares up at the stained glass, his eyes transfixed on the tiny image of a woman and a baby in the center. He's heard of the pair and their story and couldn't help wondering to himself...how does one continue living while knowing they are meant to be a sacrifice for the greater good? The longer he stared, the more his eyes stung and blurred until he could've sworn he was staring at Sora's heart station instead in a brilliant splash of red and blue. When he first saw heart stations, he had wondered why they had the appearance of stained glass but over time he felt like he understood. They were beautiful but so delicate...so easy to shatter. His own heart aching, he found himself clutching his helmet closer to his chest as he fought back tears. He tries so hard not to think about how they may be fighting a losing battle, knowing what the Master of Masters has taunted them with over and over. He hates that he's thinking this way, that these thoughts somehow keep managing to slip through despite how hard he tries to shove them aside. As determined as he is to fight for Sora, he worries that the fighting may never stop; that they'll never get to be happy. What if this is the final straw? _He'll_ go on fighting Darkness for as long as it takes. But he can't force the fight on Sora if he doesn't remember. And at the same time, he doesn't want to fight without him by his side either.

_God help the outcasts, hungry from birth.  
Show them the mercy they don't find on earth._

His hands trembled around his helmet. "Maybe...maybe this is my fault after all..." he whispered. Now more than ever he and Sora are becoming outcasts, even in their own world. Sora wants nothing more than for their love to be accepted but Riku has been hiding it away, and for what? So they could stay in school? Sora stood up for himself, tried to talk to them, and he paid the price...literally getting stoned for it. What's the right thing to do going forward, even if Sora remembers? Continue as they are? Or hide again? Which is the right thing?

"Are you lost, my child?" A voice stirred Riku from his thoughts and he looked up to see a man dressed in white with a long staff standing before him.

"In a way, yes," he admitted quietly. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding, it's just...my heart led me here."

"Then maybe you aren't so lost after all," the older man smiled before taking a seat next to him.

Riku stares down at the ground awkwardly and notices for the first time that there are grains of rice on the floor that feel a little slippery under his boot. "Rice?"

"Oh, pardon the mess. We had a wedding here this morning."

"A wedding..." Just the thought of that dream being potentially dashed too hurt Riku deeply. "Does this place host a lot of weddings?"

"On occasion, yes. Planning on devoting yourself to another soon?" the robed man asked cheerfully.

"I...I thought I was. I've devoted everything to them...but they got hurt. Now the most precious person in my life doesn't even remember what we have, what we've been through together."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he nodded sympathetically. "But surely they're the same person you fell in love with?"

"They are, but they...they think they're 14 years old again, not that they weren't a wonderful person back then too, it's just...I wasn't."

"I see."

"I've told myself for ages that as long as they were happy, I'd be happy. I've done terrible things and devoted everything to repenting for them and I know I have. I've forgiven myself and I've grown to like the person I am now. And then...they told me they loved me too and now that I've felt that happiness, I can't go back. The connection we have...without it, it's like a piece of me is missing. It's still there but it's so faint. Maybe...maybe I could rebuild it, but at what cost?"

The kind man pondered his words for a moment before asking, "Are you a man of faith?"

"Heh...faith I do have. Maybe not the same kind of faith you specialize in, but I believe in it with all my heart. They've...never let me down before. But with what we've been through, with all the close calls we've had, I fear my luck might be running out...that maybe it won't be enough this time."

"Keep believing as you always have. Maybe they can't remember, but if this connection is as strong as you say...remind them that they can rely on you. Show them what they've forgotten."

Riku looked up from the floor to finally look at the man, his voice choking with unshed tears. "Even if it hurts? What if the pain is too much?"

The man smiled with sympathy as he saw the pain in the boy's teal eyes. So young and to be in so much pain. "Which would be worse? Experiencing the old pain again...or the pain of never regaining what you have lost? Not just you, for them too. If you are as connected as you say, I'm sure they're feeling the same pain that you are now. Just hold onto your faith in each other and you'll find a way."

* * *

Sora and Kairi waited together for a long while. Together they kept an eye on the horizon from the deck for any sign of Riku, a comfortable silence having fallen between them not too long ago. Suddenly the silence is shattered by a loud growling from Sora's stomach, earning laughter from both teens.

"Hungry?" Kairi giggled.

"Starving!" Sora whined. Sure he ate nearly all the food in the fridge, but that was hours ago!

"How about I grab us something to eat?" she offered, standing up and smoothing down her skirt. "How about your favorite? Burger with cheesy fries?"

Sora broke into a wide grin. Leave it to Kairi to know what his favorite foods are. "Yes! And--"

"Extra cheesy with an orange soda. I remember," she snickers. Sora walked with her down to the warp sphere so he could see it in action and she gave a little wave before she disappeared in a flash of light.

"Well that didn't answer anything for me," Sora huffed, scratching his head as he still hadn't figured out how the darn thing worked. "Oh well!" he shrugged and turned around to head back, only to come face to face with a figure in a black cloak.

His heart stopped and he felt himself panicking, instantly breaking into a run back for the treehouse, nearly tripping in the sand in his haste, only to nearly run into the figure who appeared before him again, this time armed with a large black weapon with a piercing blue eye centered above the grip.

"W-who are you? What do you want?" Sora asked as he started backing away, his blood running ice cold in his veins as he found it harder and harder to move his legs.

Within the span of a blink, he was within arm's reach of Sora. "Show me," he says before raising his weapon and thrusting it forward, stabbing Sora right through the center of his chest.

"AUGH!" Sora choked and stumbled back half a step as he was skewered, but the blade in his chest wouldn't let him fall. His arms went slack and he could feel blood flowing from his chest and down his wrists. He wheezed as he struggled helplessly for breath, the pain causing him to see red as he listened to the sounds of his own ribs collapsing and the wrenching of the weapon as it was removed, pulling with it something red and glowing and allowing him to collapse to his knees in the sand. Before him he could see what looked like a glittering heart wrapped up in golden chains that spread and faded out into nothing.

"Good..." the man said, seemingly satisfied with what he was seeing.

Sora falls forward into the blood-soaked sand, his body feeling colder with every passing second. "Why?" he manages to choke as he begins losing consciousness.

"You're the first to get this far. Try not to screw it up."

. . .

"Urgh...my head..." Sora wakes up with a headache to find himself in the study room, halfway sunken into the giant yellow bean bag chair he was starting to get less and less fond of. His chest hurts and he's still really hungry. "Wasn't Kairi getting food?" he whined.

As if summoned by magic, Kairi appears in the doorway with grease-soaked paper bags of food in hand. "Dinner time!" she cheered.

"Yes! OW!!" Sora yelped as he sat up too quickly, clutching his head as the area around his stitches began to throb.

"Are you okay?" Kairi asked, quickly setting their food down on the table so she could run over and have a look.

"It's my stitches! They hurt and they itch ALL. THE. TIME!" Sora growled.

"Well let me see!" Kairi offered, shoving his hands aside so she could part his hair and have a look for herself. "Wait, the wound still isn't closed yet? Hasn't Riku given you a potion or anything?"

"Uh...no?" Sora blinked. "He tried a cure spell once, I think? Or so he says. I didn't notice anything different."

"That's very strange," she murmured as she gently parted his spiky locks further so she could see the entire wound. When she reached the end, she noticed something shiny and black that looked much different from the stitches or the scabbing. "Hold on, don't move," she instructed. "I'll be right back!" She hurried to the kitchen and dug around for a pair of clean chopsticks from the silverware drawer and came running back, nearly tripping on the rug in her haste. "Hold still!" she told him, not leaving him any room to ask questions as she parted his hair again and tugged at the little black thing.

"OW! Be gentle!" Sora winced.

"Hold on, I almost got it...THERE!" she retreated her hand to reveal a tiny black crystal clutched between her chopsticks. "Where's that jar you and Riku used to store your crystals in last year?"

"Oh, in the kitchen cabinet above the fridge," Sora answered automatically.

"Right!" Kairi grinned broadly before running off to get it, leaving Sora on the floor completely bewildered.

* * *

Riku returns home, landing safe and sound on the beach with his keyblade vehicle. He feels slightly better now that he's gone out and cleared his head. At least now he's armed with a new resolve to not give up. He and Sora will see this to the end.

"RIKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!"

"Sora?" he looked up to see Sora sprinting towards him. "Wait, how does he know it's me?"

Sora suddenly dashed for him in a burst of speed and practically tackles him to the ground, surprising the older teen so much that he falls back helplessly in the sand. "Where the heck have you been? You better not have gone to a new world without me! I've been texting and texting and you wouldn't answer! I was worried!"

"Wait...Sora..." Riku removed his helmet to look into Sora's eyes. "Are you...do you remember?"

"Of course. Who could forget your pretty face?" Sora grinned toothily before giving him a kiss.

Tears of happiness stream from Riku's eyes and pool into his hair as he returns the kiss and gives him another and another. "I missed you so much," he sobbed as he held the teen tightly to his chest. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"


	82. Baptism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To immerse in water, to purify, to dedicate one's self.

"So wait, you pulled this out of his head?" Riku asked with bewilderment as he held up the jar with the tiny darkness crystal fragment inside. It was about the size of a tick and kept bouncing around in the jar as it attempted to return to its original host like a trapped fly.

"Yup!" Kairi beamed, proud that she could help Sora and filled with joy as she watched her two best friends smile at each other with relieved looks. She hadn't thought at the time about how removing the crystal meant essentially saying good-bye to the old Sora, so she was a little sad. It was kind of fun seeing Sora as the way she remembered him from back then. It brought back fond memories of how carefree they all were back then. Though it was only for a short time, she's happy to have gotten the chance to see a glimpse of her friend's younger self and see his old smile again, even if that seems a little selfish.

"But how did the hospital miss something this big?" Sora asked, clearly disgruntled.

"It must have been really tiny at first," Riku speculated. "We know these things are capable of growing. It must've been a mere speck before."

"I watched them clean it myself," Kairi added. "They did a very thorough job."

"I'm sure they did their best, but how did it even get in there?" Sora grumbled, his mouth turned to the side as he tried not to imagine the nurse scrubbing through his bleeding head for shrapnel. If there was any silver lining to be had it's that he was unconscious for that part at least.

Riku recalls the rock that hit Sora; how its surface caught the light and glimmered as it laid on the sidewalk next to Sora. He had assumed it was just wet with Sora's blood so he didn't pay it much mind. Plus, there are lots of volcanic rocks that look just like it all over the island that glimmer similarly. "Maybe the rock they hit you with had darkness shards?" Riku wondered.

"Darkness shards? On Destiny Islands?" Kairi gasped.

"It's possible," Riku shrugged. "All worlds have some darkness to them. I mean we have a Door to Darkness on our play island, for crying out loud. It shouldn't be too surprising."

"Yeah, but it seems awfully convenient," Sora grumbled as he picks at his stitches. Now that the crystal has been removed, Kairi was able to heal the wound on his head completely so he wasted no time pulling out the itchy stitches by himself. Supposedly they were supposed to dissolve on their own with time, but he decided he couldn't wait that long. "First Darkness shows up to say hi, then everybody starts getting on our case, and then we get rocks dipped in Darkness thrown at us? This can't all be a coincidence. And what if the rocks _made_ them act that way? Should we check for more? What if somebody else comes into contact with them?"

As he asked this, the small crystal shard slammed itself against the side of its glass prison one last time before crumbling and disappearing before their very eyes! "Wait! Where did it go!?" Sora asked, picking up the jar and tilting it side to side to thoroughly inspect it only to conclude that the shard had indeed disappeared. "It's gone!"

"Maybe without a host it wasn't big enough to sustain itself?" Kairi wondered. "On the bright side, this saves us the trouble of disposing it. But what if Sora's right? What if there are more? We don't anybody else to get hurt!"

"Where would we even look?" Sora sighed. This whole situation just seems to keep getting worse and worse.

Kairi sees the forlorn look on Sora's face and smiles sympathetically. "Maybe we should finish eating. We should be celebrating that Sora's okay!"

"Sounds good to me," Riku agreed, though he had already almost finished his chicken salad while they were talking, having wolfed it down after not having an appetite for days. Now somewhat satisfied, he finished the last two bites and flopped sideways into Sora's lap to hug his middle. With his hunger sated, his other dream eater instincts were on full blast now that their connection was wide open once again. "But why did you have to get him that awful food, Kairi?" he frowned, giving Sora's greasy half-eaten burger and extra-cheesy fries on the table the stink eye. "He's going to be gassing up the bed all night!"

Kairi laughed, "It's his old favorite! I thought it would cheer him up. Besides, think of it as your punishment for leaving him here by himself!"

Sora huffed indignantly as he brushed his only clean hand through Riku's hair while he snacked on his fries with the other. Said silver locks were still sandy from when he tackled him on the beach earlier. "You don't know I'll stink," he defended.

"Yeah right, I can hear your stomach gurgling as we speak," Riku pouted.

"Then move," Sora said simply.

"...No!" the dream eater retorted stubbornly.

Kairi giggled into her soda. "Careful, Riku, the edges of your pupils are turning pink!" she warned playfully.

"Don't care," the elder teen huffed, though he did turn his face to nuzzle into Sora's thigh so he can hide it.

Sora giggled at his cute antics and trailed his fingers from Riku's hair down the nape of his neck and continued to trace them down his spine in just the right way that made the teen shudder helplessly and curl his toes under the table.

The display wasn't lost on Kairi. "Jeez, you two, can't you wait until I go home?" she joked.

"You can leave any time," Riku retorted unabashedly, earning a hard poke from Sora. "Oof! Come on, she knows I'm joking!" he whined. Even so, he did get up to drape his arms over Kairi in a big hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

Kairi's eyes welled up as she returned the warm embrace. "You're welcome," she whispered back and received a grateful kiss on the forehead before Riku released her to resume getting spoiled by Sora.

"So do you remember everything or...?" he looked up at Sora after he put his head in the brunette's lap again.

"For the most part, I think. It's all coming back in bits and pieces. But I know for sure there are a few things I'll need you to remind me of later," he answered, waggling his eyebrows suggestively as he said that last part.

"Oh really?" Riku grinned.

"O-KAY! I think that's my cue to go!" Kairi quickly stood up, having finished her meal anyway. The two walked with her to the warp sphere to say good night and give more thank you hugs before she left. "I'll call you guys tomorrow," she promised as she activated the warp sphere and headed home.

Once she was gone, the two headed back to the treehouse hand in hand, though they walked slowly, enjoying the peaceful night air and indulging in the view of the glittering stars. "So how was the cathedral?" Sora asked as he idly swung their hands between them.

"It was beautiful," Riku smiled at Sora as he said it. "Next time you and I will have to go together."

"Promise?" Sora smiled back, his eyes shimmering happily as they reflected the stars.

"Promise," Riku confirmed and sealed the promise with a sweet kiss.

Sora sighed happily into the kiss and walked with Riku to the bench swing they had attached to one of the lowest branches where they sat and kissed for a little longer, Sora cuddled close in Riku's lap as the swing swayed in the gentle sea breeze. But after a while, not even Riku's sweet kisses could keep Sora's mind from wandering back to their previous discussion. He paused and rested his forehead against Riku's, his brow furrowed with worry.

Riku reached up to cup his face, stroking his cheek softly with his thumb in an effort to gently smooth away the teen's growing frown. "What is it?"

"I can't help thinking about that shard. What if there _are_ more? And what if those guys only came after us because they were influenced by Darkness? Is it right to ask them to be punished if they had no idea what they were doing?" the brunette asked, feeling torn.

Riku's face turned in a serious and thoughtful expression. "We don't know for sure their actions were influenced by Darkness. Those guys have bothered you nearly all semester. Well, two of them, at least."

"Yeah, but what if this put them over the edge? Like maybe they wouldn't have done anything otherwise?" Sora wondered.

"I get what you're asking, but it's unlikely that've been carrying that rock around this entire time. Not to say the rock wasn't planted--that's certainly a possibility--but I have a feeling this was going to happen regardless."

Sora didn't look convinced. "But...they took a big risk. It's so strange. Graduation for two of them is only a few months away. Why risk everything NOW?"

"I...don't know," Riku said softly. "But I'm not going to forgive them if that's what you're thinking. And I'm not dropping the charges. It's the police's job to find motive, not ours. Not unless we can prove there's an outside force that caused it."

"Well," the younger teen gently pushed, "I think a shard of darkness is a pretty big clue."

Riku sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he conceded.

Sora smiled and kissed his cheek. "I want to put this behind us too, but we can't ignore this. I can't risk ruining their lives if it's not their fault."

"Well, we have the rest of the weekend. Maybe we can investigate...just a little. But the rock that hit you is being held as evidence. I don't think there's anything we can do. Not unless you want to break into the police station to look at it."

"Maybe we should ask Master Yen Sid for advice. The lines here are getting really blurred," Sora frowned.

"I agree," Riku nodded. "That's a good idea. In the meantime, you should rest. You've had a long day."

"Nuh-uh!" Sora protested, leaning in to nuzzle Riku's neck. "I've been waiting for you to come home all day. I'm not ready to sleep just yet."

"Well what do you want to do then?"

"Bath time!"

"Bath time?"

"Bath time!" Sora grinned.

...

As it turns out, though, when Sora said bath time, he really meant it was bath time for Riku. He convinced his beloved to get into the bath and leave all the work to him. That included _everything_ one would normally do during bath time. Riku was in absolute heaven as he lounged in the large bath tub. Sora was perched on the edge in his pajama shorts as he lathered and massaged shampoo into his scalp pleased by the moans he was getting out of his dream eater. As Sora's skilled fingers worked his scalp, Riku found himself hoping that one day they could do this for each other every day, just routinely pamper each other to their hearts' content. For today, however, Sora insisted on doing all the pampering with the promise that he's going to make Riku return the favor soon enough...or so he hopes.

If Sora was being perfectly honest with himself, he would admit he still felt a little unsure about some things. He didn't have to say it, though. Riku could tell by the way his hands hesitantly moved through his hair that some of his old shyness was still there, not that he minded for the time being. After all, he still had to punish Sora for eating all the food in the fridge. In the meantime, both hummed their favorite tune happily, the treasured music box with the song of their hearts tinkling its tune in the background. Its lovely song serenely echoed off the stone-tiled bathroom with a soft and playful ambiance.

Once Sora was done shampooing Riku's hair, he had him tilt his head back so he can rinse the suds out with the showerhead, cradling his head carefully with one hand while he worked the faucet with the other. The way Sora held it close to his scalp made the stream feel like tiny fingers combing through Riku's scalp, a sensation that made him sigh appreciatively. After Sora finished and set the shower hose aside, he continued to cradle Riku's head in both hands and began massaging his temples with his thumbs in a clockwise motion that nearly had Riku falling asleep, but he wouldn't dare risk missing out on a second of this. Sora smiled down at Riku's relaxed face, his eyes were closed sweetly as he melted under Sora's ministrations. It made the younger teen so happy that he could do this for Riku knowing how much he must have been hurting all week. It healed his own heart to see Riku so happy after seeing him be so sad for way too long.

Next he had Riku put his head back on the cushioned head rest and leaned over to grab a razor off the side table where they kept the bathtub toiletries. He also grabbed the can of shaving cream and worked it into a thick foam in his hands before gently applying it to Riku's face. He could tell Riku didn't have time to shave this morning before he left as he had quite a bit of extra fuzz today. Riku stiffened just the slightest bit as he felt the foam being applied to his face, recognizing the tingling sensation from the lather almost immediately. However, he forced himself to relax. He's never been shaved by somebody else before. Maybe this will feel just as good as the hair-washing...never mind that he's never gotten a chance to actually watch Sora shave. He had a feeling the brunette did that on purpose so that Riku couldn't critique his technique. But before he could give it an extra thought, Sora gently tilted his head with his index fingers, turning him so that he felt his bare cheek resting against the soft skin of Sora's inner thigh. Then he held his chin carefully as he smoothly slid the razor along his jawline.

With every stroke, Riku relaxed more and more until his head was completely limp against Sora so he could maneuver the elder teen's head however he wanted. Despite how warm the bath was, every gentle swoop of the razor elicited goosebumps along Riku's skin as his cheek became more and more bare. The sounds of his stubble being swiped away along with the gentle splashing of water near his head from a bowl that Sora rinsed the razor in sent pleasant shivers down his spine. He was absolute putty by the time Sora tilted his head to do the other side of his face. All the while Sora continued to hum sweetly, his spare thumb gently caressing wherever he shaved Riku as if admiring his own work. Though his skin was a little sensitive, Riku found he didn't mind it in the slightest.

Once Sora finished shaving him, he cupped water in his hands and trickled it down Riku's face to rinse the rest of the foam away before grabbing a soft wash cloth and gently tapping him dry. "Feel good?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm," Riku hummed, not even bothering to open his eyes or to check Sora's work. The brunette could've missed a whole bunch and Riku wouldn't have cared. The whole experience felt good enough to be worth an uneven patch or two.

"I'm glad," Sora murmured before craning his head down to press a soft kiss to Riku's warm and slightly damp forehead, his lips lingering as he enjoyed the feel of him beneath his lips and the scent of his freshly shampooed hair in his nose while his fingers caressed his now extra-smooth cheeks. Next was the part that had him the most nervous. He feels like he washed Riku before, then again he wasn't sure. So far he knew for certain that shaving Riku was new, but washing his hair wasn't. Even so, he was determined to follow through on his word, so he wasted no time in wetting a wash cloth and lathering it with suds, the scent of mint and sandalwood pleasantly tickling his nose as the cloth quickly became saturated with a healthy amount of foam. He then began washing Riku's shoulders, gently scrubbing with soothing circular motions, the pampered teen rolling his head languidly from side to side as Sora cleaned his neck.

He then lifted each arm and moved around the tub to wash those too, only stopping momentarily to massage each hand, lovingly working a dab of lotion into each digit before moving on to the next. All the while, Riku could only moan his praises, opening his eyes every now and then to watch Sora work with the fondest of smiles on his face. Sora could tell by the look in his eyes that Riku was on cloud nine and relished the fact that he was the one doing this to him. Every moan of approval and every content sigh from his beloved sent butterflies straight to his stomach. His cheeks flushed with a happy glow whenever Riku gave him that adorably helpless smile of bliss. He'd do anything for him if it meant he could make Riku smile like that always.

Sora then lifted each leg and gave them the same treatment, even scrubbing the bottom of Riku's feet which had him squirming as the washcloth tickled. Once he had finished, Riku noticed a long silence and opened one eye to see Sora blushing as he wrung the wash cloth in his hands and lathered it up all over again. The silverette then grinned deviously and gave a suggestive buck of his hips beneath the water, "You missed a spot~"

Sora's brain short circuited, his face flushing beet red as he stammered in an effort to make a witty comeback but he just couldn't form words, only disjointed syllables of pure gibberish! "Ah, da, dat is, I meh...mean...um...I'mgettingit," he stammered, the last part coming out in a squeak. Eventually he did inch back to the edge of the tub, however, just as he leaned over, he caught a glint of mischief in Riku's eyes just before the teen grabbed him and pulled him into the tub with a splash! "RIKU!!!" The silverette cackled as he pulled Sora on top of him, forcing him to straddle his lap as he held the slippery and squirming teen's hips tightly in his strong grasp. "NOW I'M ALL WET!" the sopping brunette fumed!

"Oh no, what a shame~" Riku drawled sarcastically, the grin never leaving his face as he rolled his hips against Sora's. "It's easier to reach this way, don't you think?"

"R-Riku!" Sora gasped as he felt how hard Riku was, having not noticed before underneath the bubbles he had put in the bath. Though Sora was frozen like a deer in the headlights, Riku appeared to be enjoying this way too much, his eyes clouded with a hazy pink and trained on Sora's as he continued rubbing himself against him. The continued eye contact made Sora shudder as he felt Riku's hot length persist to rub him over his soaked pajama shorts, the wet fabric providing a gentle friction between the both of them that soon had them both gasping and pressing even closer to meet each other's movements.

"A-ah!" Riku cried out and leaned back against the head rest so that he was lying down again all while keeping Sora's hips flush against his. He then guided the smaller teen's hips with his hands, encouraging them to move until he built a slow and steady rhythm that caused the water in the tub to slosh back and forth while Sora braced his hands on the edge of the tub next to Riku's head. It was a slow rhythm, but it was felt perfect. All Riku needed was the pressure and warmth of Sora's body against his. The friction was just an added bonus. Soon the sounds of Riku's moaning were reverberating through the bathroom, followed by Sora's soft grunts and the gentle splashing of the tub. "Mmm...mmm...mmmmmmmmm~"

"Mm...Riku...Riku..."

"Ahh...so good, Sora...aah!"

"Nn...nn...Riku...I need..."

"Just a little more," Riku begged and reached to slip off Sora's shorts to free him completely before raising his knees and bracing his feet properly so he can thrust up into Sora. "I'm cumming!"

Sora gripped the edge of the tub tighter as he expended the last of his energy thrusting back into Riku, moans choking his throat as he too reached his climax and felt Riku throb against him. "A-a-aah!"

"Unhhhhhhhhhhh...ahhhhh...haaaaaa..." Riku let out strangled cries as his orgasm took hold that left his body shuddering as he pressed into Sora one last time, their bodies quaking as the pleasure coursed through them in a long, intense burst of heat. When it ended, they let out twin sighs and melted, their bodies going slack and their limbs sinking back into the tub. Riku kept his arms wrapped around Sora, just letting them lay crisscrossed against the teen's lower back as he nuzzled the other's cheek resting against his. "That was so good~"

"Uh-huh~," Sora mewled softly, his body draped over Riku's like a blanket and his chin resting on his shoulder as he softly panted for breath. "You're so mean, Riku," he whimpered into the elder teen's ear.

Riku chuckled at the whimpering in his ear and raised a hand to stroke the back of Sora's damp neck, idly tracing a teasing circle around the star-shaped scar there with his fingers. "What do you mean?" he asked not-so-innocently.

"I did all that work and you got us BOTH dirty again!" the brunette managed to whine, his voice quivering as Riku teased the patch of skin.

"Oh well~" Riku smirked and moved his other hand to grab a firm fistful of Sora's ass cheek. "I was planning on getting you dirty tonight anyway."

Sora squeaked loudly but he didn't try escape Riku's grip which quickly loosened to cup and rub his abused backside instead, the gentle touch serving to make the brunette shiver all the more. The bath water was beginning to cool but Sora scarcely noticed it as Riku's hands felt so hot against his skin and his firm body was so warm. He wouldn't have been surprised if steam was coming off of his own skin just from the intense heat he could feel in his face.

"What you said before," Riku murmured, "About needing to be reminded. What exactly do you remember so far?"

"Hmmm..." Sora hummed into Riku's neck thoughtfully before he answered. "I remember how _they_ hurt me and how you saved me." He lifted himself to press his forehead against Riku's, his hands gently bracing themselves against his broad chest to feel the other's heart beating against his palms. He continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "I also know that you love me...and I love you...with everything that I am."

Riku let out a soft sigh, his heart so full of love he thought it might burst. For the second time today, twin tears of happiness leaked from his eyes as he nuzzled their noses together and tilted his head to hover his lips over Sora's. "Dink~" he whispered.

"Dink~" Sora giggled before closing the gap between them with a kiss, a kiss that was sure to be followed up by many more.


	83. Not guilty, your honor!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora is a warrior of the heart, even in student court! The Destiny Trio discuss boobs.

Sora finds himself in what appears to be the Final World again, but it's night time. He prepares himself for the vision he expects to come whenever he dreams of this place. Sure enough, Yozora appears, striding towards him with a quiet gait. He's witnessed this encounter enough times to know what's going to happen next, so he summons his keyblade right away and takes a defensive stance. But Yozora doesn't draw his weapon.

"Relax," the man assured him boredly. "My fight isn't with you...not anymore."

Sora eyes him suspiciously but he dismisses his keyblade after a moment and cautiously rises out of his defensive stance, "What do you mean?"

Yozora crosses his arms with a smirk. "You were such a pain..." His voice sounds annoyed but his eyes were somehow fond.

"Were?" Sora repeated.

"Hmph, maybe you still are."

Sora growled, "Hey! If you want to be understood, just say what you mean!" He stomped his foot down, "Speaking in half-assed riddles doesn't make you sound cool, you know!"

The silver-haired man's blue and red eyes twinkled ever so slightly with amusement, his smirk never leaving his face. "Heh, maybe I don't care whether you understand or not. I'm just here to say thank you."

"For what? Wait, is _she_ okay? And the others?" Sora asked, concerned for the star he met who told him about Yozora and for the other timeline's Sora and Riku.

"Why else do you think I'm here?" Yozora scoffed with a hard stare as if the answer should be obvious. "Everything is just fine. Just focus on what YOU'RE doing."

"Huh?" the brunette raised a confused eyebrow.

Yozora appeared to be losing patience as he sighed and continued, his voice sounding dire and even more serious if that were even possible, "Soon you'll have to make some big decisions. Prepare your heart for where it will lead you and remember this: Your role is only just beginning." He gave the stunned and bewildered brunette another long stare, but then the corners of his lips turned up in the barest semblance of a smile. "Don't let me down." He turns to walk away.

"Wait!" Sora hurries to close the distance between them, hand reaching out for the man quickly fading from his view, along with everything else. As his vision faded to black, he could hear Yozora's voice one more time.

"Only you can open the door."

Sora woke up to find the bed empty. Without even lifting his head from the pillow he groped blindly around the bed for any sign of Riku while desperately shielding his eyes from the glaring rays pouring in through the skylight. The cover had been drawn back over the four poster bed, so there was absolutely no hiding from the sun. With a groan, Sora decided he was awake enough and sat up to stretch. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Yozora's words kept repeating in his foggy mind. "I've heard those words before..." He was sure of it, but it feels so long ago now. He glanced around the room for his clothes just as a sweet smell wafted through the air and reached his nose. "Is Riku making breakfast?" he wondered out loud as he finally made the effort to roll out of bed. Now better motivated, he padded around the room for his clothes only to find they didn't seem to be where he left them. In fact, he couldn't find ANY of his clothes, not even the dirty ones he tossed into the hamper.

With a frown, he just shrugged and raided Riku's side of the wardrobe for one of his t-shirts to wear for now, a gray v-neck. It was way too big for him, going down just about mid thigh, but oh well. If there was one nifty thing about having a taller boyfriend, it's being able to wear his comfy shirts. He giggled giddily as he lifted the collar to sniff the fabric. It was a clean shirt, but it still smelled very much like Riku. Just having it on tempted him to get back into bed, but the smell of food continued to entice his now growling stomach so he slipped into his slippers and hurried to the kitchen, the smell of vanilla and butter guiding his nose and becoming more fragrant with each step. By the time he got to the kitchen he was practically drooling. That's where he found Riku wearing nothing but blue plaid pajama pants and watching over a skillet on the stove.

The brunette slowly approached the elder teen from behind so as not to startle him and slipped his arms around his waist, peeking around to see Riku was making a stack of french toast. "Morning, handsome," he greeted.

"Morning, beautiful," Riku greeted back, taking the skillet off the heat so he could turn around and return the embrace and give Sora a good morning kiss. "You're up early."

"You weren't in bed," Sora pouted cutely as he returned the kiss.

Riku poked the end of the brunette's nose pretty hard, "Well, I had to get groceries since you ate everything!" He looked down and couldn't help smiling at how cute Sora looked in his shirt. He moved his hands down from Sora's waist to reach around and grab his ass beneath the fabric, earning a squeak from the younger teen. "That's my shirt, isn't it?"

Sora squirmed in his grip, a blush quickly growing on his face, "I couldn't find my clothes!"

"Probably because I put them all in the wash."

Now that Riku mentioned it, Sora could hear the washing machine running in the next room. Even though Riku clearly looked annoyed, he couldn't help grinning. "Look at you being all domestic~" he cooed only to let out a YELP as Riku suddenly removed his hands from his ass only to tug on his cheeks and yank on them painfully instead!

"it's called being RESPONSIBLE, something you need to start doing too because if you think I'm going to be cleaning up after you forever you got another thing coming!"

"OUCH OUCH OUCH! OKAY, I'm sorry!" Riku let go and ruffled his spiky locks roughly before going back to making more french toast. "I had a dream last night...or this morning while you were gone," Sora started as he rubbed his red cheeks.

"Oh?" Riku asked as he flipped the toast over.

"It was Yozora," Sora said cautiously. "He said the others are okay."

Riku paused his movements and looked at Sora, "Really? Do you believe him?"

Sora nodded, "I do. He confirmed something else for me too, so I think he's telling the truth."

Riku smiled, "Well, that's good news then." 

Sora also broke in to a wide smile, "Yeah!"

"Well, let's hope some of their good fortune rubs off on us too," Riku chuckled before turning off the stove. "We got a long day ahead of us, so let's eat."

Riku served the french toast with a generous dusting of powdered sugar and topped it with sliced strawberries with drizzled chocolate sauce and maple syrup while warning Sora to not dare drip any on his shirt. The two stuffed their faces, Sora humming his praises the whole time as he tried not to think too hard about the strawberries, though he saw Riku watching him expectantly the whole time. Together, they went over the agenda for today. Riku already called Sora's mom about his memory being back, so she's expecting them back soon. Also the new window Sora's parents had ordered arrived so they're going to help Sora's parents install it. But first, Sora has to go to the police station and give his statement, and they have to call Master Yen Sid, and then see if they can snoop around the crime scene for a little bit. Also sometime, they have to finish up their homework.

But first order of business after they cleaned the kitchen was laundry. Normally Sora hated mundane chores like this, but somehow it was a lot more fun doing it with Riku. They talked and reminisced about how they used to have to wash their clothes in whatever stream they could find while they were off-world. Sora said he sometimes showered with his clothes on in the gummi ship to get them clean. Riku said it wasn't so bad when he was traveling with Mickey, but when he was by himself he'd sometimes have to go for weeks without showering or washing his clothes. It really sucked. Even now, Sora has gotten used to his mom doing the laundry and he's only ever used a wash machine to do quick loads, so he was going to have to learn how to use it properly.

Now that they each had clean clothes to wear, the two went into town. First stop was the police station. The two sat together with Officer Cherry in the same room Riku was brought into the first time he was here. Sora didn't have much of anything to say that was different from Riku's statement so he just scribbled down everything very quickly, being pretty quiet as he did so. While he worked on his statement, Riku decided this was as good a time as any to ask about the rock that hit Sora. Officer Cherry raised an eyebrow when Riku asked to see it, "It's still in evidence. I can bring it out. Why do you ask?"

"It's kind of silly, but we were debating how big the rock actually was. Sora insists it was the size of a baseball. I told him no way and he's gotten hit with way worse. So you'd be helping us settle a bet."

Officer Cherry chortled. That sounded just like them. "Well, at least you two are in good spirits. I'll be right back."

Sora smiled at Riku for a job well done. "Do you think you'll be able to sense Darkness through the bag?" he asked quietly.

"If it smelled like it, I think I would've noticed while they were questioning me," Riku pointed out. "Hopefully we'll be able to tell just by looking at it."

"Should we be prepared to cast Stop so we can look at it better?" Sora suggested.

"Mm, maybe," Riku nodded just as Officer Cherry returned with the stone. He handed the bagged item for Riku and Sora to look at.

"See, I told you it was pretty big, Riku," Sora scoffed, playing along with the fib Riku had told.

"It's smaller than I remember..." Riku observed quietly. In fact, he wasn't sure this was even the same rock. It was the same shape and as black as coal, but it definitely didn't have the same glimmer it once did and now it looked slightly porous. Maybe the specks of darkness disappeared just like the one they pulled out of Sora's head.

"Funny how our memories work, huh?" Officer Cherry shrugged before taking it back. "Let's just be glad Sora didn't get his skull cracked."

"So what happens now?" Sora asked as he finished signing off on his statement.

"Well it's a pretty straightforward case. With any luck you won't have to testify. We have both your statements and plenty of eye witness testimonies and evidence to back it up."

"Oh good," Sora breathed a sigh of relief. The idea of going to a courtroom and dealing with all of that just didn't sit right with him. He'd hate to have to cause more trouble for his family than he already has.

"Has your school called you yet?" Officer Cherry asked.

"We haven't checked, no," Riku answered quickly.

"They might call you in for student court before you're officially allowed to resume your classes. So just prepare yourselves," he warned.

"Right," Riku nodded. He hadn't forgotten about that, but it definitely slipped his mind a little bit.

"No problem," Sora smiled as he handed over his statement. "Anything else you need, Officer Cherry?" he asked cheerfully.

"Nope, that should do it. Glad to have you back with us, Sora."

The two left the police station a little puzzled. Relieved, but puzzled. "Do you think the Darkness just faded off the rock?" Sora asked as they started walking.

"Looks that way," Riku crossed his arms as he strolled alongside him. "There's a lot we don't know about this stuff. We could always ask King Triton for more information, but for now I'm just glad there doesn't appear to be anything darkness-related lurking in the police station."

"Yeah, that IS a good thing," Sora chuckled nervously.

Next they wandered all over town, looking for any areas that the bullies might've gathered the rocks from. The obvious place to look was where Riku first found them hiding in the bushes but all they found were typical pebbles. They even checked the secret cave on the play island and everywhere all around it to make sure they haven't just sprouted randomly or something. But the search came up empty. At some point, Kairi even joined the search effort as they combed the play island and the main land one more time. But they still found nothing. By the time they called off the search, they were all tired and dirty and Riku's head hurt from sniffing around so much. By now they were pretty confident that there were no other signs of darkness to be found and while that was good news, it left a lot of things unanswered.

For now they went to Sora's place for lunch and to install the new window. While they worked, Sora's mom informed them that the school did call and that they were both to report to the student council's meeting room first thing in the morning. Sora's mom looked at them both worriedly. "So...what are you going to tell them?" she asked.

Sora looked at Riku before smiling at his mother. "You trust and support us, right?"

"Of course."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. We'll answer honestly and just hope it's good enough. Right, Riku?"

"Uh, right."

"Everything honestly? Honey, you know what they're going to ask, don't you?"

"I do, but I already told Riku a while back that i don't want to lie about what we are. It wouldn't be right to go back on that now. Don't worry. I have a good feeling it will all work out. Just trust me."

After that, it was a crunch to get the last of their homework done. With Kairi around to help Sora he managed to get it all done at a reasonable hour, but by the time dinner had rolled around, the three were mentall exhausted and they still have yet to call Master Yen Sid. Sora's mom invited Riku and Kairi to stay for dinner, so they decided they'd call him together afterwards. After they thanked Sora's mom and helped clean up they gathered in Sora's room to make the call.

Sora somehow felt a little nervous but he didn't know why. Squished together on Sora's bed, they made a group video call to the wise wizard. There were a couple of minutes of exchanged greetings and pleasantries before they jumped right to the point, not wanting to keep him for too long. Riku explained their dilemma and all about how Kairi found the darkness shard and how their search for more turned up empty and now they're wondering if there's enough room to doubt whether the bullies are fully responsible for their actions. During the entire explanation, Sora could feel the old wizard studying his face and couldn't help avoiding direct eye contact while Riku talked. After Riku finished, Master Yen Sid stroked his long beard thoughtfully for a moment.

"Master Sora..."

Sora straightened up, "Yes, sir?"

"While the order of events is troubling and the appearance of a shard of darkness is undoubtedly suspicious, are you sure you're not pursuing this path of thinking because you perhaps feel guilty? That maybe you brought these events upon yourself?" Sora stared down at his feet as he felt both Riku's and the master's eyes on him. He didn't have an answer, but the Master appeared not to have needed one as he gave him a sympathetic smile. "You're kindhearted, Sora, and very knowledgeable of the heart. But I'm afraid that even in your travels you have yet to be exposed to all the mysteries the heart has to offer. So far, almost everything has been very black and white in the conflicts you have endured: light versus darkness, good versus evil. It's only natural that when you encounter the slightest presence of darkness that your mind might race to this conclusion. However, while every heart is made of light and dark, there is also free will and individual sense of morality, and these can sway perspective with out the influence of either."

"But it IS possible, right?" Sora pushed. "Is there a way to know for sure?"

Master Yen Sid sighed. "I suppose you could go to those who know your assailants best and inquire as to whether their behavior has been unusual prior to the incident. But I would assume the police investigating your case is already doing that."

Riku nodded. "They probably are, which is why we were told to stay out of school."

Master Yen Sid hummed, eyes closing briefly in a nod before looking to Sora again. "For now, I would advise to not meddle. While it's very possible the shard was planted, I think there's more than enough to indicate that these troubled young men were going to carry out an ambush regardless given what you have told me."

Sora shook a little, "It's just hard to believe that anybody on this island would do something like that...over something like this." Sure, he was bullied, even tormented by his own uncle, but this could've been deadly if it were anybody else.

The wise wizard smiled kindly, "Recall what I said about individual morality. One can wield a heart of light and still be considered in the wrong. Master Eraqus is one such example. When it was revealed to him that Master Xehanort needed Ventus to complete the χ-blade, he attempted to destroy Ventus to keep that from happening. To defend Ventus, Terra struck down his master. Do you see how the line is blurred?"

The three keybladers nodded solemnly. "So you're saying that it's more than likely they came after us because they believed they were in the right and not because of darkness or evil or anything like that?" Sora asked.

The master nodded with a proud smile on his face. "I believe you were on the right path when you attempted to dispel that young man's accusations when he confronted you in the alley. But alas, you can't force people to listen and take what you say to heart. There is a fine line between misunderstanding and hate. Curing ignorance is a good way to keep one from crossing that line into hate and therefore darkness, but if the heart isn't willing to listen, then..."

"Then it can't be helped," Riku finished for him. "So for now, we let the police do their jobs. It's out of our hands now. But that still leaves the matter of Darkness. If it did plant that rock, it's on the move. We need to think of a plan to contain it before it hurts anybody else."

Kairi spoke up, "Naminé told me Vanitas can sense whenever Darkness is taking control of Ven. Maybe we can ask him to monitor Ven for us while we think of a plan?"

"That could be dangerous," the wizard interrupted. "If he can sense Ven's movements, it's possible Darkness can do the same. For both their sakes, I think it's best we keep them as distant as possible. For now, we must ask Masters Terra and Aqua to remain vigilant, but it's difficult for them to keep too watchful of an eye without arousing suspicion."

Sora grumbled to himself and scratched his head. All this thinking was making his brain hurt. "We need to meet up in person," he decided. "After the blitzball tournament, let's come up with a plan together. Riku and I already have a good idea of what we need to do, but we need everybody's cooperation and a back-up solution."

"Then so be it. Continue on as normal. I shall see to it that we gather soon. Good luck with the tournament."

The three thanked him before hanging up. Their hearts and minds were exhausted but they did feel relieved. But then there was school tomorrow...

"So what ARE you going to do?" Kairi asked. "Do you have a plan?"

Sora smiled cheekily. "Nope, there's never a plan."

"Of course," Kairi laughed.

* * *

The next morning, Sora had immediately gone back into routine, greeting Riku at his door with a wide grin on his face so they could walk to school together. Along the way, Riku wondered where Sora got all his confidence from. Is it possible he doesn't know how ruthless the student council is? Kairi had been wondering the same thing.

"You know, I hear the student council is made of a lot of wannabe politicians and lawyers. They might see you two as something to sharpen their teeth on and tear you apart," Kairi warned.

"What, like use us for practice? That's fine. That just means they'll probably question me first!" Sora snickered as he swung his bag cheerfully in one hand while keeping his other pinky finger slipped in Riku's back pocket.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Uh...yes? That's exactly what that means."

"No sweat!" Sora removed his finger to give them both a thumbs up and a toothy smile. "I've got it all figured out. Just leave it to me."

"Care to let me in on this little scheme?" Riku asked.

"No scheme!" Sora insisted. "But I probably shouldn't. If you look at me too confidently, they might not pick me to go first."

"He's got a point," Kairi chuckled. "I just hope your confidence pays off, Sora," she smiled helplessly at her friend.

As instructed, Sora and Riku went directly to the student council room as soon as they had arrived. The room looked a lot bigger than either of them expected, and the tables were arranged in a large square with what appeared to be a debate podium at the end next to a desk chair.

"Definitely getting court room vibes," Sora muttered under his breath, though he needn't had bothered since nobody else had arrived yet.

"Hm..." Riku took this opportunity to squeeze Sora's hand. "Sora...just...whatever happens, I want you to know I don't blame either of us for any of it. So don't worry. If we get thrown out, it's not a big deal. We're just here for fun anyway, right?" the silverette smiled.

Sora smiled back and returned the reassuring hand squeeze. "Right. Though getting expelled before the big game would really suck."

Riku laughed, "Yeah, it would."

The two took a seat and soon the ten members of the student council arrived one by one. First there were forced awkward pleasantries and introductions. It didn't take very long for Sora and Riku to see which ones were out for blood and which ones simply didn't want to be here. Some were clearly intimidated by Riku, others appeared to be instantly won over by Sora's charm, while the others just avoided directly talking entirely. The student council president himself at least didn't look as intense as some of his other peers and explained he would be acting as judge. The vice president will be questioning the both of them and the rest of the members will be acting as a jury.

The president took his seat at the podium and the vice president stood, eyeing Sora and Riku with an intense gaze as he sized them up, his beady eyes gleaming behind a thick pair of round glasses. Riku could tell this guy was going to delight in giving them a hard time, but Sora didn't seem too worried, or at least not to him. In fact, on the outside, Sora looked like he was trying to appear nervous just to be polite and the vice president seemed to fall for it because he called Sora to the "stand" first.

After Sora took the seat next to the podium, the president began reading off the charges and accusations. "Sora and Riku, you are hereby accused of breaking Article 47.B of the student handbook which states that students are not to pursue relations with each other of romantic nature, i.e. dating, while pursuing their academic career at this institution. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Sora said simply, immediately earning a raised eyebrow from Riku and a gasp from one of the girls on the jury. He was surprised by that answer. After all, Sora said they weren't going to lie. What was he getting at?

It was now time for the vice president to pursue his questioning and Sora still looked as cool as a cucumber which Riku could see was making the VP very suspicious. Nevertheless, he started with his first and obvious question. "I'll get straight to the point. Sora, are you dating Riku?"

Sora hummed and tapped his chin with his index finger thoughtfully. "Hmm...define dating."

"Do you mean to imply you don't know what dating is?" the VP scoffed.

"No, I want to know how it's defined in the rulebook," Sora replied innocently.

The VP looked to the president who shrugged and read from the handbook, "It is defined as courting with the intention of forging a romantic relationship with the possibility of marriage."

After the president finished reading, the VP looked back to Sora. "Same question, Sora, are you and Riku dating?"

"Per that definition..." Sora's face slowly broke into a wide grin as if he could barely contain himself. "The answer would be no."

Murmurs broke out amongst the jury, most of them shaking their heads as they believed Sora to be lying through his teeth. Not to be deterred, the VP continued. "Then how WOULD you define your relationship with Riku?"

"He's my partner," Sora answered, earning a very audible gasp from a few of the jury while others murmured in confusion.

"Partner?" the VP scoffed again. "You mean boyfriend?"

"No. I said partner. As in life partner. As in contractually bound in a civil union," Sora elaborated, the jury not even whispering anymore as they expressed their disbelief. While the president shouted to call for order, Sora reached into his school bag to pull out their matelotage contract that he had snatched from the bookshelf in the treehouse. "I have the signed document right here that proves it. Basically, we're practically married and not "courting" as your definition puts it," he explained cheekily.

The president asked to see the document while the VP fumed, practically at a loss for words. Sora handed over the rolled parchment and smiled at Riku who was currently using all of his will power to stay seated in his chair so he wouldn't jump up and scoop Sora up into a big kiss for being so deliciously devious, not to mention daring. The jury was beside themselves, arguing and speaking over each other as to how this was even possible. The room was so loud the president had to call for silence again so he could hear himself think as he read over the document carefully. The VP also leaned to read it over the president's shoulder, but his eyes only scanned it for a few brief moments before stomped back to the front of the podium.

When the VP finally managed to speak again, he was practically shouting and his glasses were fogged up from the angry heat rising in his face. "How is that even possible!?" he sputtered loudly.

The president hummed to himself as he read over the document and all the signatures. "Though I can not speak as to whether or not the contents of this document can be enforced on THIS island, that's beside the point. According to this document and its signatures, they ARE bound as partners in a civil union so I agree: to say they are dating or courting would be inaccurate."

The VP looked like he was about to bust a blood vessel, all formality was now officially thrown out the window! "They're STUDENTS! They can't be married!" he shouted.

"Legally, yes we can," Sora said calmly. "We are both 18. And besides, I've seen plenty of instances where arranged marriages have been established between school age students. So even following school guidelines, I'm allowed to have a fiancé, am I not?" he asked.

The president nodded as he referenced the handbook to be sure. "If marriage has already been agreed upon, then yes, any activities between the two parties in question is no longer considered courting, but both parties' parents have to approve of said union."

"Then that's no problem. Both of our parents approve of our relationship," Sora stated as the president returned the rolled up parchment.

"In that case, we'll need both your parents to sign a form stating they approve of this relationship to avoid confusion in the future," the president informed him kindly.

"Sure!" Sora agreed happily.

To Riku, that seemed to be the end of it, and the jury seemed to agree, however the VP didn't seem satisfied at all. "So to your knowledge, you haven't broken ANY rules, Sora?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The president gave him a warning look. "We're only here to discuss the concerns brought up by the school board and faculty."

"Fine, then let me ask this: If you're married, where are your rings?" he asked slyly.

Sora tilted his head with another smile, "You can't wear jewelry to school."

Someone on the jury snorted as they tried to contain a laugh and Riku couldn't help smiling either.

"Relevance, vice president?" the president asked, his patience beginning to wear thin.

"I think there needs to be further proof of their "partnership"! After all, other instances of rule-breaking have given me more than enough reason to question Sora's character."

The president's eyes narrowed. "His record is clean; you can't present your own suspicions as evidence."

"Then with Sora's permission, I'd like to put the rumors at ease with more questions."

"I'll deny that request," the president shot him down sharply. "You can't sway the jury by presenting rumors that have nothing to do with the current case."

"Fine!" the VP huffed. "Then I'll call Riku to the stand!"

Sora hurried to grab his bag and returned to his previous seat, trying to avoid eye contact with both the VP and president as they glared daggers at each other. Once Sora sat down, he was NOW overcome with a case of the jitters, his cool façade replaced with adrenaline. Riku took the seat next to the podium and tried not to stare at the "jury" as he felt all their eyes on him, choosing instead to focus on the VP in front of him. He knows it should be the opposite, but if he already looks intimidating to them, better to focus on the VP than scare the jury, right? So he thought. How did Sora make this seem so easy?

"Do you understand the accusations brought against you, Riku?" the president asked.

"I do," Riku answered.

"And how do you plead?"

"Not guilty."

"The let us proceed," the president waved to the VP to get on with it.

"Riku, do you agree to Sora's testimony: that the two of you are civilly bound?" the VP practically sneered.

"Yes, my signature is on that document too," the silverette answered curtly.

"Yes, a document written on parchment and apparently signed and sealed by captains, a king, and many other witnesses, but not your own parents?"

Riku didn't like the VP's mocking tone. "They weren't there," he answered simply.

"So do they NOT approve after all?"

"They do. Our parents just weren't present for the ceremony," Riku answered calmly, trying to keep his face and voice as neutral as possible, but the way the VP was looking at him was already starting to piss him off.

"Do you have any other proof that you and Sora are indeed "partners"?" the VP asked while making air quotes with his fingers.

Riku frowned, "Yes."

"And that isssss?"

Riku hesitated for a breath but he answered, "We own land together."

"You two own LAND? HA! I find that hard to believe!" the teen scoffed, earning another glare from the president.

"It's public record," Riku responded coldly.

The jury started murmuring again and the president had to call for order.

"Oh yeah, I brought that with me too," Sora muttered, digging through his bag and pulling out a handful of other documents.

"I'll see to those!" the VP shouted before snatching the whole lot out of Sora's hand.

"Hey! Give those back!" Sora stood from his chair, but the VP paid no mind as he rifled through the documents, eyes widening as he read aloud their contents.

"A land deed, house deed--YOU HAVE A HOUSE!?"

The president demanded the documents be handed over while Sora fumed. Riku, meanwhile, could only sigh. Again, this was all on public record, but this was a lot of prying into their personal business over some school rule. Nevertheless, it was definitely effective. While the president read over the documents and signatures, the VP sneered at Riku and Riku stared right back. Though the VP was trying to put on a brave face, Sora could see his ankles quivering in fear. Suddenly the VP straightened up and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as if he had gotten a second wind.

"Can you really say YOU own it if your parents are the ones paying for it?" he asked slyly.

Riku gave a hard glare. "WE pay for it. We pay our own property taxes and everything."

"With what money!? Students aren't allowed to have jobs!" the VP practically shrieked.

"They can if they're working for their parents," the president reminded him boredly.

"So your parents ARE paying, then!"

The VP grinned wildly as if he had caught Riku in some kind of trap, but Riku just gave him a bewildered stare. What exactly was the point of these questions anyway? "Not that it's any of your business, but the answer is still no." He knew he should've just let it go; let them assume what they want, but his pride was on the line here.

"He's right. That information is irrelevant. The documents are all signed by him and Sora. I see plenty of evidence to suggest things are as they say," the president stated firmly and waved Sora over to carefully hand him back the slightly wrinkled documents with an apologetic look. "Any further questions?" he asked the VP.

"Just one," the VP grinned so deviously that even Riku felt a little nervous while everybody else on the jury let out an exasperated groan. "That first document was signed just barely a month ago. You've been in school for nearly two semesters now. Are we to believe you weren't courting up to that point while you've been here?"

Sora felt his stomach drop. If he wanted to be technical, yeah they were dating for a time but...

"No," Riku answered. "We had to wait until Sora turned 18 to make everything official with the paperwork and everything, but we were honorably bound before that, before we even came back to school." The silverette couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face, a smile that absolutely melted the jury with its sincerity and fondness. "We exchanged vows and informed our parents when we got back from our ordeal. We've had their blessing from the start. Any courtship was over and done with before we started school. Even so, we kept it to ourselves so as not to be a distraction to other students. We have not performed any PDA on campus and followed all other rules regarding such," Riku stated firmly. "Let's be honest, the only reason we are here today is because of the attack. But that's not our fault. In that instance, the school failed to protect US from the bullying that was already taking place. We've never flaunted our relationship and nobody else in this school outside of those in this room has even seen the documents we have presented today."

A blush rose to Sora's cheeks as he felt himself fall even more in love with Riku. The VP however looked like he was going to be sick. He looked between Sora and Riku as they exchanged soft looks and practically gagged, "Ugh, you two really DO act like a married couple." The girls on the jury giggled all too knowingly.

The president gave an amused smile and looked up at the clock. "I think we've heard enough. Jury, you may convene and make your decision."

Sora and Riku were made to wait outside in the hall while the council decided their fate. Sora wanted so badly to reach out and hold Riku's hand, but resisted for now, opting to just stand close to him as they both leaned against the wall. "Are you mad that I brought that stuff?" he asked softly.

"No, I thought it was brilliant," Riku murmured quietly as he affectionately rubbed his elbow against Sora's. "It was definitely a better idea than denying it altogether. But I doubt all of this will stay in that room, even if they say the proceedings are confidential. There will be no end to the questions and drama."

"That's fine," Sora smiled. "As long as you get to graduate, I'm happy. I want us to have as many fun school memories together as we can with the time we still have left."

Riku smirked, "You know, even if we got expelled, we could apply to another school."

"Yeah right, like anybody would accept us?"

"Couple of blitzball players? Maybe. Can you imagine if we got into Zan Academy?" the silverette joked.

"Uh...no," Sora snorted. "I'd rather just get my GED if I even wanted to bother."

"Right, what do a couple of keyblade masters need high school diplomas for anyway?" Riku chortled, though he was joking, of course. It might be hard to be taken seriously, academically, if neither of them even finish high school, masters or not.

"Well, if we do get expelled, how about we travel for a bit? Take on some missions?" Sora suggested. "Blow off some steam and let the drama die down before we decide what to do next?"

"Sounds good to me," Riku agreed.

Just then, the door to the student council room slid open. "Sora, Riku, you can come back in," one of the female student council members beckoned with a smile. They followed her inside and returned to their seats. Right away they could see the VP didn't look too pleased with how things were going and it gave them hope.

The president cleared his throat and a hush fell over the room as he prepared to speak. "Sora and Riku, after much deliberation, we've decided to clear your names of all accusations with the condition that you take these permission forms to your parents to sign regarding your relationship status for the student record. Note that even with approval, this does not mean you can break other rules regarding PDA, dating, sexual intercourse, physical acts of intimacy, etc. You are also not to spread this information amongst the student body so that order may be preserved. These proceedings and actions thereof will be kept confidential to preserve your privacy. All participants in this student trial have signed an agreement to ensure it's upheld. Once your parents have signed these forms, please see to it that they are delivered to the student council as soon as possible."

The teens accepted the forms and nodded, relieved that this whole ordeal was almost over. Now they just need to explain to their parents how their pirate marriage saved their skins.

"And with that, we're adjourned." The president dismissed everybody. Sora and Riku stood and bowed respectfully and turned to head back to class only to hear an announcement over the intercom.

"All male students from Class 3A and 3B please report to the gymnasium for your physical exam."

"Physical exams!?" Sora exclaimed almost too loudly. He knew they had those in middle school, but high school too!?

"Lucky you, you've come back to school just in time," the president chortled good-naturedly. "The other underclassmen had theirs last week. By the way, you can report to class now. The teachers already know you should be on your way."

"R-right," Sora nodded and followed Riku out. Once they were out in the hall, Sora started dragging his feet. "I've been physically examined enough for one lifetime, thank you," he hissed bitterly.

"It can't be helped. They do it to ensure the students are getting proper diet and exercise so they can keep getting school funding from the government. If a certain percentage of students don't meet the standard, the school gets fined," Riku explained.

"Like the exams in gym class aren't enough?" Sora huffed.

The elder teen laughed, "Just relax. The day will be over before you know it. See you at lunch." He waved before going off to his own classroom, leaving Sora to walk to his alone.

"Kairi failed to mention the physical exams..." he grumbled to himself. He made it to class in time before study period officially ended, so the class had a chance to warmly welcome him back and catch up before it was time for the first lecture. By the time second lecture was over, it was time for the boys in Sora's class to have their physical exams.

First, they were directed to change into their gym uniforms and then they were made to wait in a winding line in the gymnasium with different stations scattered about sectioned-off by curtains. As they waited in the queue for their measurements, Sora and Tidus caught up all while Sora tried to ignore the whispers from the other class that he could tell were all about him.

"Good to have you back, man. But uh, just so you know, I didn't tell anybody ANYTHING," Tidus insisted.

"About what?" Sora asked, but judging by the look on the blonde's face, he didn't have to ask. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll blow over soon."

"yeah, but you know the track team has to be pissed about losing their captain and best sprinter. The baseball team is pissed too. But not at you!" he clarified. "I mean the track team might still hate your guts, but the baseball team has already decided to exile their pitcher even if he does come back. The girls are all out for blood, too, namely your little fan club."

Before Sora could even comment, it was his turn to get weighed and have his height measured. "Shoes and shirt off," the physician instructed while pointing at the scale. Sora sighed and did as he was told, ignoring the flinch from the physician when his scars were revealed and avoiding eye contact with everybody from the other class who hadn't seen them yet. "Uh um...on the scale, please." Sora did as he was instructed and stood as tall as possible. If it's one thing he hated, it was being reminded of how short he is. "You are...five feet and...four and a half inches," the physician read off.

Sora's eyes lit up happily, his hands clenched as he did his best not to shout with glee. He had grown two and half inches! After that, the physician said he was slightly underweight for his new height class but only by a pound or two. Pleased with his results, he moved on to the next station with a little bounce in his step which measured his BMI and muscle mass where he was pleased to find out he also put on a lot of muscle since he joined the blitzball team. It was nowhere near Ven or Vanitas's level, but he assumes he might have outdone Roxas. More measurements were taken of his chest, hips, waist, feet, etc. Despite more muscle and being underweight, he was apparently curvier than most, which he didn't really mind, but he can't say that he found the playful cat calls from the other guys in line over his booty measurements very funny, even as he tried to laugh it off. "At least I HAVE an ass," he thought to himself.

After that was the second to last exam which was recording physical traits to make sure nobody's hair magically changed color, had unreported injuries, tattoos, or whatever. This time Sora was behind a curtain but the damage was already done at this point. "So...shall we start from the top?" the physician asked.

Sora sighed and started pointing at his scars, "One on my wrist, one on my knee, ten on my back and neck, one on my chest--" he started but the physician interrupted.

"Whoa, slow down! Only a few of these are even in your records!"

"I see a different doctor," Sora quickly answered. "Is this even necessary for a school physical?"

"Injuries can be very telling of activities outside of school," the physician stated pointedly, an air of accusation in his voice.

"These happened when I was OUT of school," Sora frowned, hoping to shut down the line of questioning he knew was inevitably coming.

"How?"

"How?" Sora blinked.

"Yes, how did you get these scars?" he asked impatiently.

The brunette tugged his shirt back on. "They happened during the storm. I don't remember."

"That was nearly three years ago. Surely some of these are more recent than that or they would've faded by now," he pointed out with concern.

"Look, it doesn't matter. They don't bother me that much anymore and I don't want to talk about it. Can we move on, please?" Today was just not turning out right. Seems like today has been all about everybody getting into his business. Sora wasn't so shy about his scars anymore, per se, but he hated answering questions because it meant he had to lie. And every time anybody asked about the one on his chest he briefly relives the moment he received it and it aches. Come to think of it, it's aching a little more than usual...

"Sora...Sora...can you hear me? I said I'm checking your head next," the physician said.

"Huh? Oh, sorry."

The physician gave him another concerned look before running a long wooden stick through his hair, parting it and checking it every which way for any critters and possibly any signs of hair dye, Sora imagined. For being a public school, he's starting to realize this place is pretty strict. He wonders what the standards and regulations must be like for at the private institutions like Zan Academy?

"You have pierced ears, Sora?"

"Urgh...strictly ceremonial!" he answered. "Also happened while I was away. Couldn't be helped." The physician sighed and made the note. At least things like ceremonial piercings and tribal tattoos were allowed.

"The cut on your head has healed nicely and your hair meets the maximum length requirements, just barely. No parasites that I can see. Any other injuries you need to report before I send you off for your vision and hearing tests?"

Sora shook his head and was finally allowed to proceed to the next station, Tidus chuckling good-naturedly before he went in next. "Took you long enough!"

Sora could only laugh too as he approached the other table. He passed the vision test and his hearing was perfectly fine, which surprised him given how much lightning magic he has cast over the years. By the time it was over, Sora felt like he had been poked and prodded more than he had in the past year, and that was saying something! Granted, a lot of the tests were ones he recognized from middle school, but it seemed weird to be going through them now halfway through high school. Oh well, at least if he needed to get a suit tailored in the near future he now knows what his measurements are. Remembering his height measurement put a smile back on his face.

Riku was a little less patient during his exam. Somehow rumors were already flying around about his parents buying him a house for graduation. He thought he had heard the last of the weird "rich boy" jabs back in first semester. Now he had girls asking if they could come over and see it and asking why he hasn't thrown a house-warming party yet. To which he asked, "Why would a teenager throw a house-warming party?" and his classmate asked "Why would a teenager have a house?"

He didn't have a good answer to that one.

Finally, Wakka could see Riku beginning to lose his cool and told them all to can it. "Have some respect, ya? His grand-dad died!" After that, everybody seemed pretty apologetic after they put two and two together. But once it was down to just the guys getting examined, things got rowdy again, this time about the rock incident. Somebody even made a playful joke that they hoped Riku defends Sora better at the upcoming blitzball tournament. Even though he knew they were only joking it did sting a little.

The weirdest rumor he heard by far was that they dodged the dating accusation by claiming Riku already had a fiancé. To those who took pleasure in teasing Riku about his family's wealthy, it made perfect sense. To everybody else who knew him, it most certainly did not. Some even expressed sympathy because they thought that meant Riku was forced into an arranged marriage so he couldn't be with Sora. To this, Riku didn't even know how to respond so he was practically relieved when it was time for him to get examined and then the teasing was just mutual amongst all the guys in general, not just him.

His height was six feet, one inch, a whole inch taller since the last time he measured himself. He may be a giant compared to Sora, but to the rest of his class, he was only a little taller than average. In fact, there were four other people in his class alone that were taller than him, Wakka being the tallest by far. But when it came to muscle mass, he and Wakka were definitely at the top with another blitzball player at third. Riku was also measured at just barely underweight, which he mentally attributed to the stress from the past few weeks.

Then came the usual inquiries about his hair color, but he still has proof from all his prior records that show that it is indeed natural so that wasn't a big deal. Of course his own scars on his wrist and side didn't escape notice either. For many in the other class, this was the first they've seen the jagged-looking mark that resembled a burn more than anything else. Everybody had seen the faded wrist scar and he had easily explained it away as a fishing boat injury, but the waist scar was a little trickier. Sure, the injury itself was healed in Arendelle, but he had compensated for the injury to his hip for so long that the side had become weak so he had to adjust and retrain himself to use it normally again. It took some time, but it's getting there. It still gets a little sore if he does too much heavy jumping for too long but other than that, it's almost as good as it's ever been.

So he was happy to report he wasn't as weak in that side anymore to the physician who seemed pleased with the news as he updated Riku's record. Again, the scar was attributed to the storm with no further explanation. With those two things out of the way, Riku thought he was home free, but the physician stopped him. "An ear piercing?" he tutted.

"Ceremonial," Riku quickly answered.

"Uh-huuuuuuuh...now what about the rest of these scars?"

"The...rest?" Riku looked down. That's when he noticed all the little scars. Now that he was out in the sun more and regaining his islander glow, the small scars his body had were more noticeable. Fine white lines and old gray patches from long faded bruises were speckled all across his arms and legs and even a few across his stomach. Maybe he never noticed how many there were because of his bad vision, maybe it was because of how pale he used to be, maybe it was because he only focused on the other two, or maybe it was just because he didn't used to care if he got hurt. But regardless, he was seeing it now...and he found he was okay with it. These things too will fade with time. He only smiled and shrugged, "Fishing injury, storm, take your pick."

He passed the vision test with his contacts in, but without them it wasn't terrible. His hearing also appeared to be lacking just a smidge in his left ear. He wasn't too surprised by this, considering he had been in close proximity with an explosion or two. After all was said and done, he found the waiting around to be worse than the actual examinations themselves and was all too eager to get back to class where everybody will at least be quiet during lecture. Lunch will be happening shortly so at least he'll have Sora and Kairi to distract him too.

* * *

"I grew an inch and a half!" Kairi stated proudly!

They met for lunch under their usual tree and it seemed the physical exams were all Kairi and Sora wanted to talk about.

"Too bad your chest didn't," Xindy cackled with a hair flip as she and her friends walked by.

Kairi wasn't about to take that lying down. "At least mine don't put me in a higher weight class!" she shouted after her, earning laughter from everybody in the school yard who could hear the exchange. Sora and Riku each gave her a low-five for that one as Xindy scoffed and stomped away.

"Do all girls obsess over boobs like that?" Sora asked, recalling what happened when they went swimsuit shopping with Kairi for their vacation.

"Just the ones who think it's their greatest asset, I guess," Kairi huffed as she bit into her sandwich. "They think guys care about boobs and they get competitive about guys, so I guess they in turn get competitive about boobs. It's just locker room trash talk, really. I'm sure the guys talk about the same stuff, right?"

"Yeah, I guess I hear them talk about boobs," Sora pondered.

"Pft," Kairi snorted. "That's not what I'm talking about. We know THAT. I'm talking about sizing each other up and making wise cracks. There was tons of it going on during OUR physical exams."

"Oh, uh...usually people just poke fun at my height," Sora admitted. "But that's okay! I grew two and a half inches! I'm on my way to being taller than Riku, just you watch!" he grinned. "But uh...they did make fun of my other measurements today, mainly my butt," he pouted with a bit of an embarrassed blush on his cheeks.

Riku smiled sympathetically, but let's be honest, Sora does have a great butt. Come to think of it, he recalls the guys snickering when he was getting his measurements taken as well...oh wait...he remembers now. It was his turn to blush now with a grimace on his face. Kairi noticed it right away. "What about you, Riku?"

"They...made fun of my chest size too," he answered painfully. Kairi blinked before realizing what he meant and quickly covered her mouth to contain her giggling. Sora on the other hand was smiling into his can of soda.

"Nothing wrong with having big pecs," the brunette finally said.

Kairi reached over and poked the side of Riku's right pec. "They do seem a lot bigger than they were before the keyblade war, though, *poke poke*."

Riku scooted away from her prodding finger. "Do you mind!?"

"Yeah, Kairi, hands off my man's boobs," Sora snorted.

"Soraaaaa..." Riku growled quietly through gritted teeth, his aura growing dark and dangerous.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Kairi apologized to Riku. "You can poke mine if that will make it fair."

Riku felt all the blood rush rush to his face so quickly he thought his nose was going to bleed. "N-no, that's fine. I don't want to poke your boob."

Kairi shrugged as if to say "oh well". "By the way, what IS your opinion on boobs?" she asked.

Sora nearly choked on his soda, "Wait, why are you asking US?"

"Just curious. Come on, you have each other now. What's the harm in indulging in a little girl talk?" Kairi snickered, making Riku roll his eyes at the double meaning of girl talk.

"Hmm...I dunno," Sora hummed thoughtfully. "Riku's are my favorite, but I always thought Leon's and Herc's were nice..."

Kairi WHEEZED! "I meant GIRL boobs, Sora!" she cackled, clutching her sides as tears of mirth sprung to her eyes. "Omigosh, wait, Riku, did you know that? Is that why you--"

"No, I didn't know that," Riku snapped before she could finish the question. _So Sora does have a type after all..._ This was getting interesting. Kairi, however, was more interested in her original question.

"I er...don't know," Sora admitted bashfully. "I don't think I ever really took the time to notice," he mumbled over a mouthful of rice. "I guess they shouldn't be too big, right? I imagine that'd be bad for your back. Might make a person cranky."

"How big is TOO big for you?" Kairi asked.

"I think...any bigger than Tifa's might be a bit much?" he answered honestly, but cautiously. "But it's all about what's on the inside!" he quickly added.

Kairi was clearly fascinated, "Okay, what's too small?"

"Too small?" Sora gulped. "Uh..." He looked down. "Smaller than mine, I guess? I dunno, some cushion is better than no cushion?"

Riku snorted, nearly spitting out his own sandwich. What was really funny to him is that Sora was trying so hard to give a somewhat neutral response but what he didn't realize was that there were actually some girls in his own class that didn't have as much cleavage as he did.

Kairi then turned her attention to Riku. "What about you?"

"I don't have a preference," the elder teen dodged. It was mostly the truth. He never really bothered checking anybody out other than Sora and maybe even Kairi back in the day, but even back then that felt weird. "Yours are very nice, Kairi."

"I was gonna say that, too!" Sora quickly added.

"Aw, thank you. But you aren't getting out of it that easily!" the redhead laughed.

"Kairi, outside of school, we've only seen Aqua and a lot of princesses. You expect us to check out princesses?" Riku asked blankly.

"Ariel's _were_ pretty nice~" Sora mumbled quietly, but Kairi ignored him.

"Okay, let me put it this way: If Sora could grow boobs, how big would you like them to be?" She grinned deviously as she watched Riku actually stop eating and ponder the question with his chin resting on his index finger.

"Don't you dare answer that, Riku!" Sora hissed.

It was too late, Riku was already picturing it. "Hmm...maybe just a little bigger than they looked when he played Cinderella. You know, a size that's fun to squeeze."

Kairi cackled, absolutely tickled pink at Riku's answer. Meanwhile, Sora was so mortified that he passed out and fainted against the trunk of the tree, his soul halfway leaving his body. Riku was laughing along too. Finally, he grinned at Kairi, "Soooo...what about you? It's your turn to share your boob fantasy."

Kairi reddened. "Well, I'm not really into boobs either, obviously. Xindy's boobs are beach balls; I'd hate to have THEM. But maybe boobs like Master Aqua's wouldn't be so bad."

Riku smiled, "Yeah, I can see that. They don't seem to get in her way. But you know you're perfect just the way you are, right? I've never once heard any of the guys knock your looks."

"Aww, really? I mean--I don't care what they think. Ahem..." she blushed.

"Girls are so weird." Sora finally sat up. "Imagine having dick envy."

"Says the guy with height envy," Riku pointed out.

Kairi laughed. "Maybe girls are needlessly focused on weird stuff."

"Hey, if it makes you happy, focus on whatever you want, I say. Just don't always compare yourself needlessly to others and focus on your own ideal without putting others down. If you're happy with how you look, that's all that matters," Riku smiled.

Both Sora and Kairi nodded.

"Can we all agree I have a better ass than Xindy, though?" Sora asked, sending them all into another fit of laughter.


	84. Summer Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's too hot!

Riku sat on the rug in the living room with Roxas the cat, swishing a feather toy back and forth with one hand while trying to take a good picture on his gummi phone with the other. Almost every shot was blurry, but he did manage to get one good picture of the bouncy and chubby feline with its little rump wiggling in the air before the pounce. Sora, meanwhile, was lounging on the couch with an icepack on his face. Today had gotten extremely hot for some reason, too hot even for the native islanders. So the two tree retreated to their air-conditioned home for the day. Sure, their parents' places were air-conditioned, too, but they were worried about Donut being outside by himself without a way to get in. Plus, this is where they stashed all the good ice cream.

Even in their carefully-crafted, air-conditioned living room, however, it still somehow felt too humid and Sora was nearly at his limit. He was even starting to get cranky listening to the heavy cat plop around on the floor over and over.

"Doesn't Donut want to cool off, too?" the brunette asked irritably.

"What are you talking about? It feels fine in here," Riku insisted. "I think the heat's all in your head."

"You're absolutely right, Riku. It IS in my head. And my arms. And my legs. AND EVERYWHERE! IT'S TOO FREAKING HOT!" he shouted, tossing his ice pack onto the floor with a huff which was now nothing but a bag full of warm water.

"You can take a cold shower?" Riku suggested calmly while Roxas poked at the bag of water with his paw.

Sora glanced over to watch Riku try to take another picture. "What's with the pictures?"

"I haven't posted anything on kingstagram for a while," Riku shrugged.

Sora grinned knowingly. "Are you sure it's not just cuz you like teasing Roxas by heart-tagging him in pictures of Donut?"

"Oh that's definitely a plus," Riku smirked. "But Xion and Naminé have been asking for more pictures too, so why not?"

The brunette chuckled as Riku picked up a catnip ball and tossed it up in the air for Roxas to catch in his paws. He then proceeded to roll on the floor and bunny-kick the daylights out of it. The distraction only worked for a moment before he remembered the heat again and he growled audibly in frustration.

Riku looked up at his growling lover on the couch and shook his head with a minute smile on his face. "We could visit the others in Twilight Town if you want to avoid the heat?"

Sora shook his head. "I already tried texting them. They're on a school trip."

"Of course you did," the silverette chuckled. "We could go for a swim?"

"But that requires going out into the sun!" Sora whined while lazily flailing his arms and feet. "Even the waterfall feels too warm! Maybe I can cast a water spell in the tub and then cast blizzaga!"

"Don't you dare! I'm pretty sure that might shatter the porcelain!" Riku warned. "Besides, wouldn't that be TOO cold?"

"You're right. And I would have to sustain it. Hmmm...I guess I can try my river raft attraction magic. But that ALSO requires effort..." He let out a long sigh. "Do we have any ice cream left?"

"Orange sherbet and a couple of strawberry ones," Riku answered. "But maybe you shouldn't. Too much sugar is bad for your stomach in this kind of heat."

"You're right..." Sora admitted, which surprised Riku, who expected more resistance. Finally the brunette sat up. "I guess I'll just make another jug of ice water. You want any?"

"Sure," Riku smiled, giving Sora a playful swat on the butt as he walked past.

"EEP!" the brunette squeaked. "It's too hot for that!"

"Don't worry, it'll cool off by tonight," Riku grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick little chapter. I'm not feeling that great (still awaiting COVID test results) so this is about all I can manage to write while I have a fever. But don't worry! Next up we have the blitzball tournament and I'm hoping it's gonna be good! ^o^
> 
> Update: COVID test is negative! HUZZAH
> 
> But my fever is still here. Booooooooo


	85. Homework

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a lil homework fluff.

"Riku! I don't understand this question!" Sora whined for about the fiftieth time that afternoon.

Riku sighed and looked up from his reading. He couldn't exactly blame Sora for having so many questions. After all, he missed a week of school and he had amnesia on top of that, so he was still trying to catch up with the rest of the class. But right now Sora's class was dealing with math that not even Riku could remember that well so it felt like the two of them were BOTH doing Sora's homework rather than him guiding Sora or correcting his mistakes. "Let's see."

Sora shoved the book over to Riku's side of the table and positioned himself in Riku's lap so they could look over the formulas together yet again. Somehow being in Riku's lap made him feel less frazzled. Maybe it's because he knew the older teen would do his best to help him. Or maybe it's because whenever he's in Riku's lap he feels like he doesn't have a care in the world. Riku's like the best thinking chair ever...unless he sits there for too long, then it just becomes impossible to think.

Riku rested his chin on top of Sora's head while they both leaned over the math book and Sora's notes. The brunette's work seems to match just fine, but the problem was tricky. Riku found he was getting a headache just from looking at it. Lots of exponents and fractions. He hated that combination more than anything. Twirling his pencil between his fingers, he traced through Sora's work with his other finger, making sure the steps he did attempt to take were okay. "Mm-hmm...mmmmm-hmmm...this seems right..." he hummed. But as he went along, his hums turned to grumbling as the fractions spiraled out of control the further down the equation went.

Sora could feel the silverette's chin vibrate angrily on top of his noggin as he sensed him losing his patience, but he kept quiet as he watched Riku spin his pencil faster and faster in his hand. Suddenly he felt Riku's presence against his back leave and his chin slowly slide through his hair to be followed by a soft thud behind him. He spun around to see Riku's upper body had fallen back to the fluffy rug in defeat. "Riku?"

"I can't. It's too hard. You've broken me," Riku admitted with his arm over his eyes as if to hide his shame. "Maybe you should call Kairi."

"Can't, she's at volleyball practice," Sora reminded him. "Are you...really broken?" he asked, moving to kneel over him with his hands braced near Riku's shoulders.

"Mm," Riku hummed in confirmation, still not moving his arm. "Mortally wounded."

"Oh no~" Sora giggled before prying Riku's arm away from his face. "Guess I'll have to fix you then."

Riku smiled up at the brunette whose face was hovering only a few inches above his. "You think so, huh?"

"Heh," Sora chuckled before lowering his head to give Riku a soft kiss which the other teen happily returned. It was a slow and lazy kiss, the kind of kiss you drag out so you can avoid dealing with anything else. It was warm and soft and their lips slotted together perfectly. They tilted their heads and parted their lips in unison, mirror imitations of each other as both their tongues connected to explore each other at the same time, forcing them to interrupt themselves as they snickered at their unintentional tongue boop. Sora pulled back to press a kiss to Riku's forehead, smoothing away the bangs that hid his furrowed brow. "I guess I can always ask TRON."

Riku sighed, closing his eyes as Sora's fingers ghosted through his hair. "Guess you _could_ do that," he murmured while he snaked his arms around Sora's waist to trace invisible patterns into his lower back.

Sora giggled and kissed the tip of Riku's nose. "Don't worry. TRON could never replace you," he assured him.

"Got that right!" Riku growled playfully before yanking Sora down to hug him closer to himself.

"YEEP!" the brunette squeaked before bursting into a fit of laughter as Riku's fingers attacked his sides. "AAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! R-RIKU! STAAAAAAAAAWP!!!"


	86. Riku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Sora share a dance at sunset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been dying to write a chapter around this song for some time.
> 
> [Riku - Project Destati: Light](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JbxlYRPbZg)

Riku was watching the sun set from the deck of the treehouse, his legs dangling over the edge as he watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon. Sora had fallen asleep on the couch as he often did whenever they did their homework together after blitzball practice. Usually Riku would join him for those little naps before they rushed home to have dinner with their families, but this time Riku just couldn't let himself rest. He had a lot on his mind lately and yet somehow there was also nothing at all, not like there used to be. Before, his mind was constantly swimming with thoughts of the next battle or past memories and maybe even his regrets. But lately, even with the looming threat of Darkness ahead, his mind has been occupied with "What am I going to make for lunch tomorrow?" and "Wonder how I did on that homework assignment?" and "What will it be like being inside a real blitzball arena?" along with "How is Sora so cute?".

Okay, maybe his mind wasn't filled with nothing, but his thoughts have definitely been different and he liked it. Though every now and then he did think back to darker times and his body would clench defensively as he wondered when he'd have to face those challenges again and wondered if he'd be ready for them. But for now, things were good. He propped his chin on one knee, smiling to himself as a gentle breeze whipped through his hair. The tree's branches gently rustled along with the soft roar of the nearby waterfall, almost in perfect tune with the rising and falling of the ocean's waves. It couldn't be more perfect...unless...

"Found you~"

Riku looked back to see Sora standing behind him and smiling at him fondly. He hadn't even heard the other's footsteps approach. "Heh, did you think I was hiding from you?" he quipped.

"Were you?"

"Like I could ever hide from you," Riku smirked.

"That's right," Sora snickered before kneeling behind Riku to drape his arms over his shoulders and nuzzle his cheek against his. "The sun's almost set," he observed quietly.

"Yeah..."

"It's pretty."

"Mm-hmm..."

"But..."

Riku glanced at Sora out of the corner of his eye. "Don't say it," he warned.

Sora grinned cheekily, "But not as pretty as you~"

Riku huffed and rolled his eyes as the blush rose to his cheeks. "I'll get you for that one later," he grumbled.

The brunette snickered and kissed his cheek. Suddenly he stood up. "Come on. Dance with me!"

"Huh? Dance? To what?" the confused teen twisted around to see Sora setting up his phone on the railing and pressing on the screen a few times, supposedly choosing something from Heartify. Once he made a selection, he waved Riku over insistently. With a defeated smile, the silverette rose and walked over, his hands joining Sora's who pulled him close to dance with him slowly as the song began to play.

"Wait...this song..."

Sora rested his head against Riku's chest as they danced. "Mm-hmm, it's yours."

Riku bit his lower lip and squeezed Sora's hand a little tighter as well as wrap his other arm tighter around his waist as he felt himself cringe a little. "Why...?"

"I like it," Sora responded simply in an almost dreamy tone.

"But...it sounds so sad," Riku muttered. He just didn't understand. Why would Sora pick this one? Surely their heart song sounded better?

Sora looked up, "Have you not heard the whole thing?"

Riku shook his head. To be honest, when he heard the first thirty seconds or so, he couldn't bring himself to listen to the whole thing. He didn't need a song to remind him of how sad he used to be.

"Oh. Well...sure, it might be a little sad at first. But when I listen to it, to me it just sounds like you really wanted somebody to dance with you." The music began to pick up and Sora increased their pace, guiding Riku gently through the steps as they danced in a slow circle.

"You're right...I did," Riku admitted as he straightened his arm and spun Sora around. The song really did begin to sound like a waltz now and he brought Sora back to his body. Together they spun and danced as the song grew more triumphant and he felt his heart begin to swell with the music as he spun Sora in his arms and even lifted him off the ground, much to the other's delight. So this was what he was missing out on, huh? This was the song of his heart. He was glad to know it now...but...

The song slowed, as did the both of them, and Riku drank in the last of the setting sun through Sora's beautiful sapphire eyes. He brushed a thumb across his warm, flushed cheek and smiled fondly at the light of his life.

Again, he didn't need a song to remind him of how far he's come. After all, there was more than enough to remind him, and he's right here in his arms.


	87. Blitzball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the blitzball tournament has finally arrived!

Expulsion and probation. That was what the bullies got, along with hefty fines for improper use of hunting equipment in a residential area on pedestrians. Supposedly there was talk of juvie, but they managed to work out a deal since it was their first offense. It didn't seem like nearly enough punishment to Riku and Kairi, but Sora was just glad to have it all put behind them. At least they know the worst bullies won't be at school to bother them anymore. Now they could focus on the upcoming blitzball tournament.

It was so hard to believe it was this upcoming weekend, and Wakka was determined to milk every last big of practice out of the week as he could to prepare them but even he managed to exercise a little restraint so that they'd be fresh for the game. Mostly they focused on light stretches, passes, scoring, and reviewing their team strategies. Sora and Riku had a few special moves that they perfected sitting in their back pocket and even Sora and Tidus managed to come up with a few strategies.

"Now remember, there may be only three teams, but you need to pace yourselves properly. It won't matter if we make it to the end if you're too tired to play, ya? So first rounds will be given to second string, I think..." Wakka suddenly guffawed. "Depends on what my gut says, ya?" The team let out a sigh of exasperation, but their dauntless captain continued. "Make every bit count. You all know ten minutes isn't a lot of time, but it feels like even less when you're actually competing. Waste. No. Moves. Every kick, every throw, every stroke is important, ya? But don't panic. Take your time, think carefully, and give 'em Hell!"

The team cheered enthusiastically, the excitement buzzing through all of them, especially their cheer squad who joined their little strategy meeting on the beach at the behest of Wakka, their group cheering "Yeah!" and "Do your best!"

Wakka waved his hands after a moment to get them to settle down so he could continue, but he too was grinning proudly from ear to ear. "Now I know I probably don't have to say this but remember: We're representing our school, so be on your best behavior. I expect to see good sportsmanship out of all of you, ya? If we lose, it's okay. That's what competition is all about. If you did your best and lose fairly, there's nothing to be mad about. Above all else, we should be having fun, ya? That being said, I know Zan Academy is famous for their trash talk, amongst other things..."

The team all let out a "Booooo~!"

Wakka chuckled, "I know, I know. After the slimy stunts they tried to pull at the beginning of the semester, I would love to throw a few things at 'em myself. But no matter what, we have to keep our cool and play the game right. Don't let those sorry, desperate wannabes bait you, ya?" You're better than them. All of you!"

The team all nodded, but Sora can already see Tidus getting antsy. Mo suddenly shouted from the back, "So what you're saying is, if they bother Sora and Riku again to not leave any survivors or witnesses!"

The whole team and cheer squad rolled with laughter, Sora and Riku grinning appreciatively.

"That's right, leave no trace, ya?" Wakka joked. "No, but seriously; if it gets bad, report to a ref. Or report to me, and _I'll_ report to the ref. They can taunt me all they want, but nobody goes after my team!" The team applauded out of respect for their captain. He grinned widely, "Plus, any reason to get them a penalty is a win in my book!" Aaaaaand the respect withered slightly, this time the team letting out nervous chuckles as their captain threw his head back and laughed. "I'm joking, I'm joking!" he cackled. "Now then," he continued as he walked behind the white board where the team truck was parked. HE then came back with two very large boxes on each shoulder. "Time to pass out your tournament uniforms!"

"And ladies," he turned to their "cheer squad", "I pulled a few strings and got permission to order all of you something as well to thank you for helping out the team."

The girls' eyes lit up and they cheered excitedly before rushing forward to see what they got. For the team, they got brand new wet suits that were similar to their practice uniforms but these were marked with their names and had specially colored stripes on the sleeves to symbolize their field positions. They were also custom fitted a lot better to accommodate the muscles some of the players had gained, which was a big relief to Sora whose arms had probably grown the most and yet had to make due with the smallest uniform size available because of his height. In fact, he had torn off the sleeves entirely two weeks ago when he couldn't throw the ball anymore and got a scolding from Wakka. They also got brand new goggles, mouth guards, and other necessary accessories. ("Don't forget to fit your new mouth guards before the tournament!") For the girls, they all got shirts that matched the uniforms that also had their names on the back and a special yellow and green stripe on the sleeve that matched the colors of a paopu fruit. When asked what the stripe meant, Wakka proudly explained, "Means you are all official members of the team. It symbolizes your positions as our official management team!"

"Management?" they asked in confusion.

Wakka continued to grin. "Yup, managers of security and team spirit!"

The girls all laughed, but they seemed to like the idea of now being officially considered part of the team. But amongst themselves they were already thinking of how they could make their team shirts look even cuter. Once everybody had settled down with their things, Wakka had even more to say. "So again, let's give a big round of applause to all the ladies for their support and for looking out for us this year, ya?" The team whooped and hollered their appreciation, the bashful girls looking rather pleased. Riku and Sora smiled especially at the two girls who witnessed the rock incident and the ones who reported the bullies that were sneaking around. Tidus gave an especially loud whistle to the one of the girls who he personally witnessed chase off a member of Zan Academy all by herself.

Though they may have originally shown up for the eye candy like Wakka said, the fact that they stayed true to their intended purpose and continued to give their support practice after practice was really worth all the praise they could possibly give them. They really have become a part of the team. It'd be weird gong to the tournament without them. On that note, Wakka said he also got their new team members some of the best seats in the house right there with the players' families so they can lead the cheers. They will also get team badges that will grant them access to the team-only areas so they can help out with whatever if they need to.

"Lastly, I just want you all to know that I know you will all do great. You're a fantastic team and I'm proud of every single one of you and I'm so proud to be your captain," the red-head started choking up. "No matter what, you should all be proud and I know you'll give it your best. So thank you in advance for being a part of my team, ya?"

The cheer squad all cried out, "Awww~" while the guys begged the big softy to not cry while they still bashfully muttered their thanks to him for being a good captain. By the time their last practice ended, they were all trembling with anticipation and excitement. Poor Wakka had to go over the itinerary at least four times before it finally stuck. Even then, he asked the cheer squad if they wouldn't mind setting up a buddy system to make sure their team members got to the right place on time, essentially a babysitter to each player. He was determined not to let any mishaps occur!

"Go to bed early! Get a good breakfast! Make sure your mouth guards fit! Have your uniforms packed! And don't forget your goggles!"

Even Sora and Riku had the pre-game jitters as they walked home after practice. "No dream-diving tonight, Riku," the brunette warned him. "I want you to get plenty of rest."

"Don't worry about me," Riku smiled. "Just make sure you get to sleep on time. Don't be playing on your phone before bed or you won't be able to fall asleep."

"I know, I know. I won't," Sora promised.

The next morning, Riku's par4ents picked up Sora's family and drove to drop the boys off at school to ride the team bus. Meanwhile they were all going to drive ahead to the stadium so they could get good seats. Sora's mom went all out, having painted her and her husband's faces with their team colors and Riku's mom made a banner. Riku's dad brought the noisemakers.

"Is this all really necessary?" Riku asked when he saw the box of horns and other loud do-dads.

"Of course! After all, it's hard to hear when you're underwater," his dad pointed out.

"That's true," Sora laughed. "I'm sure the cheer squad will have something similar."

When the boys got on the bus, they were greeted with the sight of the cheer squad putting on their own war paint. They even customized their shirts to fit tighter and modified the sleeves to make them shorter while keeping the original stripes in view. They even bleach tie-dyed the base bright blue color to stand out more which also made them more reminiscent of their school uniforms. Lastly, they added glitter to the paopu fruits emblazoned on the backs beneath their names. Thus all the seats they occupied on the bus were now covered in glitter. Wakka, of course, couldn't have been happier with their enthusiasm. They even made lunches and snacks for everybody and brought extra water bottles and towels. And, of course, they made sure each and every single team member arrived on time and well-prepared.

Tidus said his assigned cheer squad manager called him five times to tell him to go to bed and even showed up at his house to make sure he had packed everything. Sora and Riku could only grin, glad that SOMEBODY was able to keep Tidus in line besides Wakka. Their own cheer managers were the girls that lived on Sora's block and they just shyly called and read off a checklist to make sure they had everything they needed, which was good for Sora because he almost forgot to fit his new mouth guard. Riku even got a good suggestion to pack extra wrist and shin guards because supposedly Zan Academy likes to hit HARD and has been known to crack and splinter equipment.

Once everybody was loaded onto the bus, Wakka went over the strategies one last time while they made the long drive to the island's only blitzball arena which required two ferry rides to get there, hence why they had to be prepared to leave at the crack of dawn. Behind them, there was a small caravan of parents following the bus in their own vehicles, many of them packed to the brim as a lot of their parents didn't have their own parents so were forced to car pool with others just like Sora and Riku's parents did. Kairi's family had already gone ahead too, as Kairi's father had to prepare for the opening ceremonies, being mayor and all.

After the first ferry ride, the bus had fallen pretty quiet. Even Wakka stopped talking strategy so he could preserve his energy and calm his own nerves. Really the only ones left chatting were Tidus and some of the younger second string team members who have never seen the blitzball stadium in person before. Tidus bragged that he's seen it tons of times since his dad is a pro blitzball player, but he's mostly excited to see the girl from Zan Academy that's going to be there cheering him on. The boasting raised a few concerned eyebrows from the cheer squad who couldn't help overhearing Tidus's incessant braying.

"Really? A girl from Zan Academy said she'd be cheering for you? Poor thing!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tidus puffed up, offended.

"Zan Academy is ruthless! If they hear her cheering for someone on the opposite team, she could get eaten alive!" one of the other girls pointed out.

Tidus deflated, "You think so?"

"Don't worry. Point her out to us when we get there. We'll look after her."

"Aw thanks, ladies, you're the best!"

"I wouldn't worry too much, mon," Wakka assured them. "S'long as Lulu's with her, I'm sure she'll be fine, ya?"

"Oh right!" Tidus brightened. "Lulu can kick anybody's ass!"

Intrigued, Riku looked up. Sora had already fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Who's Lulu?"

"Wakka's sweetheart," Tidus whispered into Riku's ear from the seat behind him.

Riku's face broke into a wide grin, "Oh really? Will we get to meet this Miss Lulu?"

"HA! If you win this tournament, MAYBE I'll introduce you. For now, keep your heads in the game, ya?"

Riku smirked. He could tell Wakka was blushing because he wouldn't even turn to look at them when he spoke.

By the second ferry, everybody was asleep, save for the driver (you would hope), the jitters leaving them all in desperate need of a power nap. The whole trip took well over three hours with the ferry wait times and the winding mountain roads. The blitzball stadium may have been positioned in the middle of the islands, but it took DI High by far the longest to get there. In fact, it took so long that even Sora woke up before they even got there. By now, they could clearly see the arena in the distance. Right now it had the appearance of a desk globe without the globe; a stand surrounded by stadium seating in the center of a busy city with Zan Academy standing proudly nestled in the surrounding mountainside.

Upon seeing it, Sora did feel a little let down. He expected it to already be filled with water. "Hm," he hummed, the tiny noise waking Riku up who also at up to peer out the window while Sora snapped a few pictures with his phone.

"I'm sure it's much more impressive when it's filled up," the elder teen said, reading the less than enthused look on Sora's face as he half-heartedly snapped pics.

"I was hoping I could take some good pics for Kingstagram," Sora pouted. "It'll be too dark to see when we leave later."

"Something this big? I'm sure they light it up at night, you'll see. For now, maybe put on your photographer hat later?"

"Yeah, you're right," Sora laughed. "This is no time to play tourist." Just as he was about to put his phone away, he got a text notification from Roxas wishing them luck. "Huh, Roxas says they'll be watching the game on TV?" he read aloud to Riku.

"Oh yeah, Xion told me they figured out how to tap into the broadcast from the computer in the basement," Riku explained.

"Ohhh~...Cool! We should wave to them!"

"Haha, sure."

Slowly the rest of the team stirred awake and by the time they were parked in front of the arena, they were in full hype mode again. The outside was already packed with people in line for tickets and scalpers were scattered about selling their own supply. Concession stands were set up everywhere selling team merchandise, noisemakers, and of course, food. Before the team could get distracted, Wakka quickly ushered all of them to their assigned locker room while the cheer squad helped their gathered families get to their seats.

In the locker room, they all indulged in one last snack and potty break before sliding into their wet suits. Sora couldn't help wishing they had a chance to break their uniforms in before the tournament but it couldn't be helped. So instead, he did some stretches and ran into the showers to get it a little wet and then stretched again. After that, it felt a little better. His team mates followed his example before they too put on the rest of their gear. "Don't worry," Wakka assured them. "You still have the opening ceremonies, too!" That did make them all feel a little better. Their new uniforms weren't tight, per se, but they were new and they were all nervous that anything slightly unfamiliar might throw them off their game, even if they arguably fit better than their practice uniforms. Once they were suited up, they had to gather around the arena in a special spot for the opening ceremonies.

The moment they exited the main locker area, they were blown away by the noise! It hit them like a loud gust of powerful wind! The arena hadn't even been filled with water yet and the crowds were already cheering for their favorite teams! "Geez, it almost feels like a professional tournament," Riku commented.

"I know, right? Hey, Tidus, is it this loud when your dad plays?" Sora asked the blonde.

"Even louder, man!" Tidus shouted. "Makes you kinda glad we play underwater, right?"

All four teams appeared to have gathered and Zan Academy looked like they were already giving one of the other teams the stink eye. They then turned their attention to DI High, cracking their knuckles as they attempted to intimidate their team, but Wakka's team just grinned (almost goofily), with Sora grinning the broadest out of all of them as he winked with one finger pointed up and mouthed the word "Zap!". The message rang loud and clear to Captain Nero who scoffed at the gesture and another one of the younger team members flinched.

Riku glanced down at Sora and gave him a playful nudge with his elbow. "You shouldn't tease them."

"Hehe, I know. Wouldn't be nice to rub it in," Sora giggled.

The team turned their attention to the families waving and hollering at them from the stands. Sora and Riku could easily pick out their parents thanks to the banner Riku's mom brought. Now that they've spotted them, Sora swears he can hear his mother cheering loud and clear. Their "cheer squad" was already hard at work too, having taken up a whole row so they can lead the cheers. They made sure everybody had a noisemaker and that everybody was wearing DI High colors somehow, either with flags, hats, or banners, and even face paint.

Zan Academy was dressed in red and black. The other two schools were Thalassa High with the Thalassa shell as their motif and Coco Central High School dressed in green with green coconuts as their motif. They were considerably more chill than Zan Academy from what they could tell, but nevertheless they appeared confident...for the most part. Sora could see some of the players on Coco Central looked really nervous or just not as invested as the rest of the team. He hoped it was just nerves and that Zan Academy hadn't gotten to them like they tried to do with him and Riku. Competition or not, it wouldn't be any fun if nobody was playing fair or to the best of their ability.

Finally, the sounds of horns rang through the stadium and a hush fell over the audience. Near the top of the stadium on a balcony, arguably the best seat in the house, stood the mayor, his wife, and of course Kairi, all dressed nicely for the opening ceremony. Kairi and her mom stood beside the mayor as he gave his opening speech. To be perfectly honest, Sora couldn't hear a word of it! he looked up at Riku to see the elder teen seemed to be struggling to hear as well. He did manage to catch "Proud to present the" something something "annual high school blitzball tournament" and then he started naming off the teams, which the crowds cheered for as they were listed.

Hearing their high school's name get called followed by the deafening cheers of the crowd really go them hyped. They were all surging with adrenaline now and they didn't even know the order yet! The mayor went on to explain that the order will be decided by random drawing. As he said this, the score board lit up with a tournament bracket. One by one, he pulled names until the bracket was filled. First up was Zan Academy versus Coco Central and then Destiny Islands High School would play Thalassa High. With the order decided, the mayor finally shouted, "Let the tournament BEGIN!" and fireworks went off before the arena began shooting jets of water to begin filling itself with the pyrefly water that enabled it stay suspended in a sphere while also allowing the players to breathe underwater for a short period of time. As it filled, a rock band began to play music over the loudspeakers to hype up the crowd while the teams filed back inside the locker rooms to await their matches.

At least in the locker rooms, they had TVs so they could watch the matches that were going on before theirs. Sora and Riku continued stretching together s they watched the broadcast. "Do you think Zan Academy go to Coco Central?" Sora asked as he did some toe touches.

"I wonder..." Riku pondered. "A couple of them didn't look too happy to be here, did they?"

"That's what I thought!"

"Well, it can't be helped now!" Tidus sighed. "It sucks, but if they can't stick up for themselves, we can't butt in, right?"

On the TV, it was becoming very clear to see that ZA was outmatching CC. It wasn't even the first three minutes and ZA had already scored four times! The roar of the crowd was starting to get audible even in here! Riku and Wakka and the other defenders on first and second string were paying special attention to Zan's offensive team. They were incredibly rough and brutal with how they tackled the fielders. They even put one of them in a choke hold until he released the ball! Sora watched with disgust. "I still can't believe that's legal!"

"Just be glad they're not allowed to inflict poison in high school matches," Wakka sighed and shook his head as the match went on. It was an absolute bloodbath. Coco Central had to call in their second string for the second half. The final score ended at seven to one before the timer even ran out. Wakka looked to his shaken team and gave them a smile. "Did you see that, team?" The team nodded solemnly. "Did you see what I saw?"

Sora and Riku blinked, but Tidus slowly raised his hand. "They looked pretty cocky to me."

"Exactly, mon!" Wakka slapped him on the back proudly. "They're using up all their energy to try and spook the other teams. But it won't work for us! Haha!" he crowed loudly. "Alright, we're almost up. Listen up, second string! I want you up first. First string will play second half if we need to. Got it?"

"Got it, captain!" they all cheered in unison before filing out of the locker room. First, the entire team dived into the arena for a lap around the sphere while the commentator called off their names and field positions. When Sora's name was called out, he gave a cheeky wave to the camera. Tidus behind him did a silly little flip. Riku just nodded and gave a quick two finger wave. After the introductions, first string went back to the locker room to watch the game.

Wakka being captain had to participate in the first part of the match, too. First string watched the match carefully for any signal to be called in by their captain while also studying the team. They were pretty evenly matched. By halftime, both sides had scored one goal. Wakka returned to the locker room, a little short of breath but seemingly in good spirits. "Whoo! They're feisty this year! Time to show 'em what we got! First string, you're up!"

When they took their turn, it was clear to see that Thalassa switched to their alternate team as well, but whether it was their first or second string, it was hard to tell. Before they knew it, Tidus nabbed possession of the ball after Mo performed the blitz-off and he was off like a rocket! Sora sped off with everything he had so he could back him up. Mo was on it, the midfielder pulling double duty as a defender as well, ready to protect Tidus and Wakka wasn't too far off. Riku was above Sora, ready to strike if anybody got near. Tidus made it to the goal line and scored before the other team even knew what hit them! They could hear an eruption of cheers from the stadium that made the water around them shake!

Sora gave Tidus a high-five as they swam back into position. Now on the defensive, Riku and Mo were quick to tackle and regain possession of the ball in the next round. Riku kicked the ball to Tidus who hurried to get it to the end of the field. Sora and Riku swam together as they caught up while Wakka guarded Tidus. But Tidus went a little too fast and got himself surrounded! He couldn't take a good shot!

"It looks like Tidus has made an error! How will he get out of this one?" the commentator wondered over the loudspeakers.

Sora waved over at him, and Tidus kicked it to Sora. Sora lunged for it and grabbed it, but he was still too far away to make a play. He looked up at Riku who nodded and swam down to grab his ankles!

"What's this? Is Sora getting tackled by his own team mate?"

Riku spun the brunette around and around and around before letting go and launching him like a bullet towards the goal, a mere blur to all those who were watching. Sora was glad for the goggles because no way would he have been able to keep his eyes open otherwise as he shot at mach speed through the water. With a flip at the very lost possible moment, he slowed enough to launch the ball with both hands at the goal, scoring them another point!

"And a spectacular play by Sora and Riku! I have never seen anything like it!"

With the score at three to one, the last couple of minutes were a real test of endurance. Their opponents really began to ramp up their offensive game, putting DI High on the defensive. Luckily, their goalie managed to block everything, but it took everything Riku, Mo, Wakka, and their other two defenders had to keep up. Things were at a standstill until the very end with the final score at three to one. They shook hands with the opposite team before heading back to the locker rooms where their team eagerly awaited them.

"Second string did an amazing job in the first half, ya? I'm so proud of you!" Wakka praised. "I'm gonna count on you to do the same against Zan Academy in the first round, ya?"

The players on the second string had to pick their jaws off the floor. "US!?"

"Don't worry!" Wakka tried to assure them. "Just a couple of rounds to feel them out, ya? We're counting on you to tire 'em out and then we'll swoop in for the kill! You got this!"

The team nodded. It made sense considering the damage they saw Zan Academy do in the first game. Sora couldn't help wondering if that's what Zan WANTS them to do? But he wasn't about to doubt their captain now. Outside they could hear the halftime show: a live band with dancers on a floating platform above the arena. It was so loud they almost didn't hear the knocking on the locker room door. Wakka went to answer it to find their cheer squad waiting for them out in the hall with three guests. One was Kairi who wanted to wish them luck. The second girl was a brunette with a blue eye and a green eye that looked to be about Kairi's age and was wearing a Zan uniform and appeared to have a shy demeanor. The third was the epitome of a tough, no-nonsense high school goth girl. She appeared to be the oldest with long black braids tied up on top of her head, dark makeup on bale skin, and also wearing a Zan uniform.

"Lulu! Yuna! Kairi!" Wakka greeted warmly. "Thank you for escorting them, ladies!" he thanked the cheer squad.

"Yuna's here?" Tidus hopped up excitedly from the bench to greet the shy brunette who clutched her hands as she spoke.

"I-I just wanted to wish you luck. And to tell you that you're playing wonderfully!"

"Aw, thank you, Yuna! Just watch, I'll do the Jecht shot just for you!"

"Oh!" she clapped her hands together happily. "I can't wait!"

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," Lulu sighed before looking to Wakka. "I saw you got kicked in the first half. Are you all right?"

Wakka reddened and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her.

She didn't look entirely convinced but she smiled and shook her head. "Just be more careful."

"Aye ya, I know."

Sora and Riku greeted Kairi who gave each of them a fist bump. She would've given them a hug, but she didn't want her clothes to get wet. "That last half was pretty brutal!" she commented. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad were bringing the team water and snacks.

"Better than us wearing ourselves out trying to score," Riku reasoned.

"Yeah, we had a good lead, so we focused on defense. But I have a feeling we're really going to be on the offensive for this next match," Sora hummed thoughtfully.

"Just be careful," Kairi smiled. "And have fun!"

"Right!" both boys grinned.

Back in the locker room, Sora and Riku wanted to tease Wakka about Lulu (She totally didn't seem his type...then again, what IS his type?) but he was already giving another speech. It was very similar to the last one, but it did raise their spirits. They were calm and ready...except maybe for second string. They had a mission and were determined to see it through. The announcer called out the team names and the second string and Captain Wakka marched out, the cheer squad cheering their hearts out and walking with them the whole way until they had to go back to their seats.

Sora, Riku, Tidus, and the others watched the TV with bated breath as Zan Academy got the ball first during the blitz-off. DI's second string fought tooth and nail to push them back. They even got possession of the ball thanks to a bad throw resulting in an interception but it was far from smooth sailing after that. In fact, the bad throw might've been done on purpose because after that, Zan Academy took pleasure in brutally tackling anybody who had a hold on the ball. They blocked defenders and slowed them down so they couldn't rescue their fielders. The fielders could do nothing but pass back and forth to each other to keep the ball away, but there was no progress being made towards the goal. Nobody was close to scoring, but if they could at least keep the ball away...

Then there was a sickening CRUNCH!

"CAPTAIN WAKKA HAS TAKEN A HIT!" the commentator cried and the crowd booed!

Wakka's shin guard was absolutely shattered, leaving him vulnerable. Then, while all eyes were on Wakka, one of DI's fielders got LAUNCHED out of the arena, completely exiting the water sphere!

"DI High's second string left fielder has been EJECTED from the arena!"

Wakka had to call a time out! Sora and Riku watched with clenched fists as the medic checked on their thrown player. Said player landed on one of the mats intended for this very purpose, so he was okay. The audience got a little wet, though. When the buzzer signaled the time out, Wakka hurried back to the locker room with the second string team, the whole lot sporting busted equipment and bruises.

"Are you all right, Captain?" Mo asked.

"I'm fine, ya? Rusty back yet?"

Riku shook his head, "We saw him on the TV though. He looks fine." He handed Wakka one of his backup shin guards.

"Thanks, mon. I'm calling in first string. We need our fastest people now, ya?"

"Right!" Tidus and Sora nodded, more than ready to get back into the arena. The whole team hurried back out with only seconds left to spare on the timeout clock where a cheering crowd awaited them.

"Captain Wakka is back with his first string! The heat is getting turned up!" the commentator roared into the mic, the crowd erupting in even louder cheers from the hype, stomping their feet and sending vibrations throughout the stadium that they could feel even inside the aqua sphere.

Sora and Tidus took their positions, Tidus having a more serious look on his face than Sora's ever seen. He then looked to Mo and Sora and signaled that they should all switch up their positions, with Sora playing mid-fielder to partake in the blitz-off to fight for possession. Sora was surprised and confused to say the least but when he looked to their captain for confirmation, Wakka nodded to give the okay. So he swapped with Mo. Now he was face to face with Nero who appeared to be smirking at him around his mouth guard. Sora only narrowed his eyes and kept an eye on the ball.

The buzzer sounded and the ball fell. With one swift motion, Sora spun his right leg around 360 degrees, subsequently shoving Nero back while he turned into a flip and used his left leg to kick the ball to Tidus BEHIND himself. Tidus caught the ball and sped off, Wakka and Mo quick to follow! Sora tried to hurry into the next position, but suddenly Riku was beside him in a flash, blocking a tackle from one of the other offensive team! Sora didn't have time to wonder why they even bothered with him when TIDUS is the one with the ball and Mo is the closest fielder for Tidus to pass to, he had to hurry!

"An excellent blitz-off by Sora! Tidus has the ball! But Sora's the one getting tackled! But wait! A brilliant block by Riku! And Tidus is still going!!"

Sora hated leaving Riku behind but there wasn't time to waste. Suddenly the buzzer went off! TIDUS SCORED!!

"TIDUS MAKES THE FIRST GOAL WITH A FLAWLESS KICK! DI TO LEAD ONE TO NOTHING!"

"YES!" Sora shouted, a stream of bubbles escaping him, but just then, another player showed up from beneath him and grabbed him by the ankles! The ball wasn't even back in play yet and nobody seemed to notice! When it was put back in play, their opponent had the ball and was heading for DI High's goal! Sora spun around over and over to throw the other off before Mo finally came to his rescue. Meanwhile, Riku tackled the one with possession of the ball and threw it to Wakka who tossed it back to Tidus!

"DI HIGH HAS POSSESSION AGAIN! Tidus has the ball! WAIT, WHAT'S THIS?? Nero is on his tail!"

Tidus swam up really high, now trying to escape the other team captain Nero! Sora hurried to assist, to back Tidus up, but Tidus knew he was surrounded. There was only one thing to do!

"Wait! Could it be? Is he going to attempt the Jecht Shot?" the commentator cried.

Sora hurried to the other side of the field to the opponent's goal. Tidus has tried the "Jecht Shot" many times during practice and has yet to do it successfully. It's a move named for his father Jecht, the blitzball champion and involves leaping out of the water sphere and back flip kicking the ball directly into the opponent's goal. Is he really going to try it NOW!?

Tidus swam so fast he shout out of the aqua sphere. He flipped upside down, looking poised to kick it straight into the other goal...The crowd was on their feet, their roars deafening in his ears as he lined up the shot. But then...he didn't! "FOR YUNA!" he cried before catching the ball in his hands and clutching it tight before plunging straight back down, sinking and swan diving with it so fast he looked like nothing but a blur and a stream of bubbles, straight past Nero and all the other defenders until he was at the bottom of the arena. He spun out of the dive and used whatever momentum he had left to KICK the ball with all his might, scoring another goal FROM BELOW! The goalie had NO CHANCE! He had no way of predicting what Tidus was going to do! It was an incredible shot and the commentator thought so as well!

"What a fantastic fake out!!! They'll be talking about the Yuna Shot for years to come!!!"

Sora spurt out a stream of bubbles. The Yuna Shot?? Ho boy. He's sure that's definitely not what that poor shy girl was expecting. There wasn't much time for celebrating, however. The ball was back into play, and there was still one minute left in this half alone! This time, Nero won the blitz-off against Tidus, but Sora stole possession again when Nero failed a pass, then he and Mo kept it between themselves as Tidus backed them up, his energy all but expended on those last two goals.

"Wuh-oh! Looks like Tidus is playing mid-fielder! New blood Sora has the ball! Captain Nero is hot on his heels! The defense looks ready for Sora, does he have a plan?"

"Nope, there's never a plan," Sora thought to himself. ZA's defenders were crowding the goal, ready to tackle should he get within range. Though he had Mo and Tidus on standby to pass and Riku and Wakka above and below to help deflect, Nero was really giving him a run for his money. He was almost as fast a swimmer as Sora was...Almost. He was then struck with an idea and waved to Riku and Wakka to guard Mo and Tidus. It threw both the defenders off, but Wakka nodded the okay, swimming off to guard Tidus while Riku defended Mo, who was the closest to Sora.

The plan seemed to be falling into place, ZA's defenders started splitting off to watch Mo and Tidus assuming Sora was preparing to make a pass, while two of them remained near the goal. Now Sora was left to deal with Nero, two defenders, and one more midfielder. So...he swam down! Then up! Then to the left! Then to the right! He darted everywhere with the speed of a dolphin while Nero and the others desperately tried to keep up. The captain falling for his antics confirmed for Sora that Nero was taking this personally by trying to pursue the tackle rather than wait for him to attempt the shot. Nero had speed, but Sora had speed AND stamina.

Finally, there were fifteen seconds left on the clock and Sora could tell he wore them out. He took his chances with the two defenders. They swam for him and he made the throw, flipping forward with all his might to give as much momentum as he possibly could, the goalie's fingers just edged it, but the ball went through the top left corner! HE SCORED!

"A fantastic goal thrown by newcomer Sora, scoring one for Destiny Islands High School!"

The crowd roared! Sora felt a little dizzy from the adrenaline rush as he right himself up. But before he could even take in his success, he felt a blow to his sternum just before the halftime buzzer went off! Nero had come in from below and RAMMED his elbow into his chest before time was up!

Sora coughed and sputtered as he saw Nero smirk at him before swimming away with his team. He couldn't hear anything anymore. He felt his vision going grey as he clutched his chest, the pain now radiating throughout his body in hot waves of agony while the memories began to flood his mind. He couldn't breathe! Everything was going black!

"SORA!"

He could hear Riku's voice calling to him in his head, but he couldn't respond. He felt strong hands grip his body. He felt himself being dragged through the water which had begun to feel so cold. He stared through the darkness that clouded the edges of his vision, eyes trained on the top of the silvery water dome as tears stung the corners of his eyes inside his goggles. Finally, he was pulled from the water and he gasped and sputtered while Wakka and Riku slung his arms over their shoulders to help him to the locker room, his toes barely scraping the ground as the two tall men supported him. He didn't regain full awareness until the worried captain set him on the bench and gave him one hard slap on the back, knocking the last of the water out of the brunette who expelled the last of the liquid from his lungs all over the floor. " _*COUGH COUGH*_ Thanks," he wheezed. " _*cough cough*_ "

"You all right, mon?" Wakka asked with a hand on Sora's shoulder to keep him steady.

Sora wanted to take his goggles off but he could feel the whole team staring at him. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

Riku ruffled Sora's hair, the unruly locks having already stood back up. "Pretty ballsy shooing us away like that. But it paid off."

Sora felt himself cheering up, grateful that Riku didn't seem to be mad. Well, not mad at HIM anyway.

"Should've known Nero would pull off something stupid like that!" Tidus raged. He looked like he wanted to kick a locker, but stopped so he wouldn't risk hurting his foot.

"Aye, right before the buzzer went off. So we can't call a foul. But least you're okay, ya?"

Sora rubbed his sore chest. That bastard got him right in the scar and he can already feel it starting to bruise all the way down to his bones. "Yeah, I'm fine," he assured his captain. "Not gonna let a dirty trick like that get me down!"

"That's what I like to hear! Haha!" Wakka chortled with another hard pat on Sora's back, nearly knocking the brunette off the bench. "Everybody played a fantastic first half! A score of three to zero is something you should all be very proud of! We have a good lead, but we need to keep it up!"

"But what should we do, Wakka?" Tidus asked. "Should we go for seven so that we win automatically or hold them off 'til the buzzer?"

"It's tricky," Wakka muttered, arms crossed as he considered their options. "I get the feeling they haven't shown us the best they can do. They're going to ramp it up in the second half, I'm positive. We don't even know what their scoring game is like and I say we keep it that way. We keep the ball away from them, score when we can, and if we have to, focus on defense in the end game."

It sounded like a plan, but Sora and Tidus were already pretty tired. Wakka looked them over apologetically. "Then again...They have the ball next." He looked to his three fellow defenders and to his goalie. "Never mind. Defense, it's our time to shine. Let's give 'em hell for that cheap shot!" The team cheered enthusiastically, all hyped up just in time for the buzzer. They filed out to the arena, Riku falling back to give Sora a hand off the bench.

Sora felt the warm of a cure spell through Riku's hand and smiled. "So you're not mad?"

"Mad? No. I'm pissed," he smirked before popping in his mouth guard and heading out of the locker room.

"Oh no," Sora chuckled to himself. "Zan is gonna be in for a baaaaaaaaad time~" He also couldn't help grinning as he popped his own mouth guard in and hurried to catch up with his team.

The second half was an absolute massacre for Zan Academy. You can bet they took the first half very personally, especially Riku. He knew Nero took that shot to send a message. After all, Sora's injury was in one of the pictures they took during practice with the intention of blackmailing them. It was tackle after tackle. The ball desperately flying between the Zan fielders as they desperately tried to keep possession. Finally, about two minutes into the second half, Nero attempted to score, but Riku wasn't going to let him! He made the tackle, and sent Nero flying out of the arena!

"NERO IS OUT OF BOUNDS THANKS TO A HARD TACKLE FROM NEWCOMER RIKU!"

DI High's own goalie was so in awe that he hesitated, so unfortunately, Nero did score, but the tackle was almost too epic for anybody to care! After all, Nero was still a fair distance from the wall to begin with; about fifteen feet to be exact. Basically Riku tackled him with the force of a locomotive, give or take.

"NERO FROM ZAN IS GONE! DI High is in absolute HYSTERICS and Zan finally marks the board, the score is now three to one!" the commentator shouted.

Of course, Nero landed safely and crawled back into the sphere without any assistance but he did not look pleased as he popped his jaw and adjusted his mouth guard while glaring at Riku the whole time. Riku only smirked and swam back into position. DI now had possession.

Back and forth it went, each of DI High's fielders made an attempt at a goal, but the goalie was just way too good. Nero had managed to score another goal for Zan Academy, putting the score at three to two. There were only thirty seconds left, and Zan had possession. If they managed to score, they'd be forced into overtime!

One thing DI High noticed, however, was that Nero really seemed to like being the hero. Whenever he made passes, it was only so the ball could be returned to him later, even though his team mates arguably had a better shot multiple times. It was so unbelievable that it even threw off their defense a few times who thought there was no way in hell he'd inflate his ego that much and thought it was just a tactic to throw them off. But nope...they played themselves by giving them way too much credit. It was almost pitiful. But if Nero wanted to play hero so badly, they decided they were going to let him.

"Nero has the ball! He's going for the shot! But oh, what's this? He's completely surrounded!"

They trapped Nero with all four defenders and their three fielders on their side. Nero's own defenders were easily out-tackled by their left and right defenders, leaving the hot-headed captain by himself against Riku, Wakka, Tidus, Mo, and...where's Sora?

No matter, it was time for Nero to take the shot! he rose and curved his leg, sending the ball spinning through the water, curving it around Wakka and sending it straight for the goalie. There were seconds left on the clock!

"Is this it? IS THIS IT!? There's no stopping this ball!"

Suddenly, Sora flipped out from behind the goalie, goggles off and a wide toothy grin on his face as he watched the triumphant smirk fall from Nero's face. With spectacular grace, he spun and kick-flipped the ball, using its own momentum against it as he ricocheted it against his shin guards to send it whirling right back into Nero's face! The stunned blitzball captain was hit so hard he flipped backwards, the ball forgotten as the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the game.

"Destiny Islands High School wins with a score of three to two! They've won the tournament! They're taking home the high school blitzball cup!!"

The team gathered in a huge group hug, waving their arms and blowing kisses at the crowd that they could barely see as the water rippled all around them from the force of their cheers and stomping, but they could hear their thunderous applause for sure this time.

. . .

There were still a coule more games for the losers bracket before the tournament ended. The final order being DI High in first, Thalassa high in second, Zan Academy placing third, and Coco Central in fourth. After suffering their loss, second string for Zan Academy didn't stand a chance against Thalassa High who looked more than eager to get some payback of their own. During the closing ceremonies, they were all given their trophies with Wakka getting to carry the gigantic crystal championship cup. Following that, Tidus was given the MVP award, something everybody agreed was well-deserved.

Afterwards, the team went out for dinner together with their families joining them in celebration. By nightfall, Sora and Riku's phones were filled with pictures. Sora even got a picture of the lit up stadium like he wanted. Kairi even joined them for the festivities. Before they knew it, they all had to rush to get back on the bus because the last ferries were leaving soon!

Once they made the first ferry, the team calmed down considerably, the last of the adrenaline leaving them. One by one they fell asleep, even Tidus who had spent a fair amount of time moping about having to leave Yuna without getting a good-bye kiss. Wakka was snoring loudly and even the cheer squad was exhausted, having expended their energy on making sure the boys packed everything and got to the bus on time. Sora and Riku were the only ones left awake, their faces lit by the glow of their phones as they read all the incoming messages from their friends.

They both had to put their phones on silent as they were being flooded with notifications so as not to wake their teammates, both smiling broadly as they looked through kingstagram to see the screenshots their friends took of the game. They even uploaded video clips of some of the most iconic moments, including Tidus's aborted Jecht Shot now turned Yuna Shot, Riku's tackle, and of course, Sora sending the ball into Nero's face, just to name a few. The two of them watched the latter clip together on Sora's phone, Riku smiling as he slipped an arm around Sora's shoulders. "That was a good hit," the silverette chuckled softly.

Sora giggled and turned his head to kiss Riku on the cheek. "And that tackle of yours was so hot," he whispered so only the elder teen could hear.

Riku grinned and leaned in to whisper in Sora's ear, "I can tackle you later if you want...maybe a little gentler~" Sora blushed and bit his lower lip before playfully nudging Riku in the side, earning a snicker from the other teen who wordlessly apologized with a peck on Sora's cheek. "Between you and me," Riku spoke in a more serious tone, "I'm honestly surprised we didn't get any further backlash from Zan."

"Apparently they tried to raid the bus while we were at dinner, but our wonderful "security team" scared them away," Sora snickered.

"Ah," Riku chuckled.

Sora played Riku's tackle again, this time in slow motion. "So angry~," the brunette giggled quietly, seeing the look of absolute loathing on Riku's face as he shoved his body through the water. It was almost hard to see through all the bubbles, but Sora could just make out how Riku's fists were clenched. In the next few frames, he observed Riku winding said fist back and then smacking Nero right across the jaw right before he flew through the water and out of the arena! "Wait!" Sora whispered loudly. "You PUNCHED him out of the field?"

"He's lucky that's ALL he got," Riku shrugged.

Sora's jaw dropped before he mouthed the words, "I love you" and Riku's lips turned up in a smirk and then a fond smile before mouthing back, "I know."


	88. Tell Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes pain isn't felt right away.

Hard panting could be heard coming from Sora and Riku's bedroom. Together the two tussled under white sheets as the brunette drenched in cold sweat clung to the silverette desperately who tried to calm him with a tight embrace and soothing words. "You're so strong, Sora. You're okay. It's okay," Riku whispered into the sobbing teen's ear.

"Tell me again...please!" the younger keyblade master cried.

Riku fisted a tear from his own eye before running his fingers through Sora's hair. "I love you. If any stars come this way, I'll just hit them back into outer space. I'll always keep you safe," he whispered reassuringly as tears choked his throat.

Sora's sobs quieted and his breathing began to calm, his grip lessening on his beloved as they continued to lay and hold each other. He could hear the distress in Riku's voice, the teen in just as much pain as he was. He turned his head to place apologetic kisses to Riku's neck while he rubbed his back, his fingers tracing the invisible dream eater symbol he could see in his mind's eye.

Sora had a nightmare. A bad one. He had a really strong feeling it was because of the hit he took during the blitzball tournament. Despite Riku healing him, a large black bruise blossomed in the center of his chest, highlighting the scar that he was just starting to get used to. He had dared to think that it wasn't a big deal anymore, as he recovered quickly from the blow during the tournament. But now he thinks it must've been the adrenaline that kept him going. After all, it wasn't much different from the adrenaline of battle where he could get hurt a lot but be so focused he never paid attention to the trauma until afterwards. But this nightmare was different and Riku felt it, too.

He was alone on the beach. The Master of Masters plunged his keyblade into his chest and ripped his heart out again. He spoke mysterious words and left Sora bleeding in the sand. Riku had only just managed to infiltrate the nightmare in time to see the ending before he attempted to dispatch it. But even then, he felt a sense of powerlessness, like it wasn't a dream at all. Even as Sora awoke, the details of the nightmare lingered, hazy but nevertheless present, like the shadow of a memory that had been etched into his heart.

"You're the first to get this far...he said..." Sora repeated the mysterious words the cloaked man said in a whisper to himself.

Riku pulled away just enough to cup Sora's face in his hands. "Don't give it another thought. It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real," he assured him adamantly.

Sora looked up into Riku's yellow eyes that were fading into a soft green and nodded. He swallowed hard and placed his hands over Riku's and tried to smile, but large tears leaked from his eyes as he did. "I'm so sorry..."

"W-why? Why are _you_ sorry?" Riku asked in a shaky voice as he thumbed away Sora's tears.

Sora could feel Riku's hands quivering beneath his own. "Because it hurts. It hurts so much. And I know you're hurting, too."

"Sora..."

"I love you. I love you so much," Sora swallowed back his tears once again before pulling Riku in for a deep kiss. "I won't let it happen, never again," he whispered against Riku's lips.

Riku held Sora protectively, possessively as their limbs entangled with each other's and their breathing began to quicken once again. "Stay with me. Always," he whispered, his tone desperate as he devoured Sora's lips. "Please tell me."

Sora broke away just enough to whisper, "I'll always be with you. We'll always be together." He pressed them together again only to pull back to reaffirm, "If we go, we'll go together."

"Yeah..." Riku choked, this time allowing the tears to flow. They weren't sad tears but they stung and felt hot as they rolled down his face and joined the ones on Sora's cheeks. "Always."

"Always," Sora nodded, the smile on his face genuine this time and Riku's met his in kind.


	89. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku has graduated high school! Time to throw a party! Unfortunately, things get a little out of hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Mentions of miscarriage.

Graduation was surreal. Riku didn't know what he expected, but certainly he didn't expect it to be somber and bittersweet. It seems like only yesterday he was cramming for his finals with Sora and Kairi. Now here he was in the school gymnasium in line with his other fellow graduates in neat rows, standing an equal space apart. The student council president made valedictorian, so he gave a speech, but Riku couldn't tell you any of it, just that it was a good speech and hit all the right notes.

All he could really remember was how much everybody cried as they gathered in the school courtyard for the last time, hugging and muttering good-byes as they clutched their diplomas tightly in their hands. Riku didn't cry, but he surprised himself when he let his classmates give him hugs. He preferred shaking hands, but the hugs of comradery were nice. Of course, Sora and Kairi hugged him the hardest and Sora looked like he was going to cry for sure. But to his credit, he kept it together. Though Riku was betting he'll be crying plenty later. Would he miss his classmates? Maybe. He did have a lot of fun with the fire dancing troupe, and of course, there's Wakka. But to be honest, he had been prepared to say good-bye ever since the school year started, so he wasn't really sure how he _should_ feel. Wakka had told Tidus that he was passing down the role of team captain to him which Tidus was thrilled about, only to be massively disappointed when Sora shared he wasn't doing blitzball next year in favor of joining the the theater club.

Despite the quiet school ceremony, the celebrations weren't over yet. As it turns out, Riku's family decided to throw him a huge party and of course his friends and their families were invited as well. Riku had a huge family filled with many, many cousins and several young second cousins that called him Uncle Riku, no matter how many times he corrected them. Sora and Kairi knew he had a big family, too, but only actually had the opportunity to meet a handful of them at Riku's birthday parties when they were a lot younger. When they arrived with their parents, however, Riku could tell they were immediately floored by how many people there were and quite frankly, Riku was overwhelmed, too.

Even Riku's big house wasn't enough to contain all the guests who spilled out into the large beach-side "backyard" that was decked out with string lights and paper decorations to celebrate the occasion. There was a table already piled high with gifts and a little table next to it with a display made of pictures of Riku and his trophies and awards he's earned growing up. Besides his blitzball trophy, he didn't have very many from high school, obviously, most of the ribbons being from middle school, but his mom was very proud of it and insisted on displaying every bit of what she had preserved over the years.

Besides all of that, there was a buffet table (they had the event catered), games for the kids to play, beach games for the adults, a dance area with one of Riku's cousins acting as DJ, and even a bounce house for everybody to enjoy. Riku suspected it was to occupy all the little cousins and stayed far away from it, despite how much they pleaded with him to jump with them. When Sora and Kairi arrived, it was such a relief as he had been dodging awkward questions for what felt like hours already!

"Wow, you got it catered too?" Sora whistled.

"Yeah, knock yourselves out. Just stay away from my uncles," Riku advised.

"Uncles. Got it!" Sora gave a thumbs up, no questions asked, and Riku desperately wanted to kiss him.

Together, the three each made themselves a plate and found a spot on the beach far enough to get away from the booming music so they could talk. Riku was grateful for the break. He felt like he had been suffocating ever since the first guests arrived not long after he had gotten home after school.

"You don't look like you're having much fun," Kairi observed sympathetically.

Riku sighed before he took a bite of his pulled pork sandwich. It was sooooo good, plus he hadn't had a chance to eat since lunch. He devoured four more bites before he finally spoke, "My family is a bit much..."

As he said this, several of his younger female cousins screamed with delight as they practiced their cartwheels and backflips in the sand nearby. Sora couldn't help laughing as they reminded him of them when they played...except maybe a little louder.

"The adults keep asking what I'm doing now that high school is over. I keep having to repeat that I'm not taking over the business. It's annoying." Riku took another frustrated bite before he continued. "My uncles keep asking me to consider selling the land to them, too."

Kairi scoffed. "Don't they know you've built a house on it already?"

Riku nodded. "That's what I told them but they all laughed and said it's not a real house."

"Bull!" Sora grumbled.

Riku smiled and reached to hold Sora's hand. Sora smiled back and it made Riku feel warm. As long as his friends are here, he doesn't care what his family has to say. Even though Riku got along with most of his cousins, especially the younger ones, he always felt like the black sheep of the family, the irony being that he was the only one with his grandmother's silver hair which made him stick out amongst his dark-haired family. Though most of the immediate family worked with his parents, his saving grace was that the majority of them lived scattered throughout the islands so they weren't privy to everything involving Riku's personal life. But this also meant very few of them knew about him and Sora...With a sigh, he gently squeezed Sora's hand. "My aunts keep asking if I have a girlfriend," he added quietly.

Sora went PBBBBBT and Kairi held back a laugh, but only just barely. Riku couldn't help himself after hearing their reactions and laughed along with them. "What'd you say?" Sora asked as he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye.

Riku shrugged. "No, obviously," he answered and leaned over to kiss Sora on the cheek. "You're not a girl," he clarified.

Sora snickered appreciatively but then they heard one of Riku's little cousins gasp! "Uncle Riku kissed a boy!!" she shouted before running off to scream at whoever would listen.

Riku watched her leave with a blank expression. "Well...I can think of worse ways to be outed."

"I think you did that on purpose," Sora eyed him suspiciously, though he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Who could say?" Riku grinned before kissing him again, this time on the lips.

"Guys, I'm still sitting right here," Kairi reminded them.

"Ooh! You should kiss Riku, too! That will REALLY get them talking!" Sora joked.

"Maybe after we finish eating," Riku laughed.

"How about no?" Kairi laughed too.

Riku unfortunately couldn't hide away with his friends for very long and was forced to rejoin the party and socialize. The three friends joined in the games and played with the little cousins. Lots of "tackle the bear" was played (Riku was the bear); anything to avoid talking to the adults who were now studying Sora and Riku's interactions closely. Riku could feel their eyes on them and he hated it. Were they judging him? Did they disapprove? Suddenly, his dad called him and Sora over, who was surrounded by his uncles from both sides of the family along with Sora and Kairi's dads. Reluctantly, the two walked over.

"There's my graduate!" the large man held his arm out proudly to his rest his hand on Riku's shoulder. "And there's my future son-in-law! What a party, huh? Did you all hear about the game? These two practically won the tournament all by themselves!" he guffawed. He's clearly had a few beers by now.

Riku chuckled sheepishly as he tried not to buckle under the weight of his dad's hand, now realizing he's being used to help his dad stand upright. "Hey, Tidus was awesome too--"

"What do you mean by son-in-law?" one of the other uncles laughed, completely interrupting both Riku and his father. "That's a joke, right?"

"Of course it is!" another one laughed. "He just says that cuz those two have been inseparable since they were little."

Sora looked to Riku with a tiny smile as a blush grew on his cheeks. If Riku wanted to avoid drama at his graduation party, he had every right to do so. Riku caught the reassuring look and smiled back. He chose to ignore his uncles for now, but it seemed his dad had more to say. "Why not? I'd be proud to have Sora marry my son! He's already like a son to me anyway!" he practically roared with jovial laughter as he lifted his hand off of Riku in favor of roughly ruffling Sora's hair, the brunette's own dad smiling appreciatively.

One of Riku's uncles laughed again, pointing to Sora and Riku's dads. "You two have been thick as literal thieves too! We used to joke that if one of you had a daughter your kids would probably get married!"

Another thought that was a hoot! "Think of how great that would be for business, though! A fishing business and a boat business all rolled into one! Think of the convenience!"

Riku and Sora could only chuckle along nervously. Riku was desperately searching for an out but at the same time, he knew he couldn't avoid these scenarios forever.

"Auntie said you aren't partaking in the family business, is that right?" one of Riku's older cousins asked.

Riku shook his head, "I'm not."

One of his uncles scoffed and stomped his foot, "I don't see why you wouldn't! What could be better than running your own business? What, you planning on college or something?"

"I have work elsewhere that I need to get back to," Riku answered flatly.

"Elsewhere!? Where else is there?"

"Just elsewhere."

"He and Sora found work when they were gone and I fully support it," Riku's dad rescued. "From what I understand, it even pays better. Can't be mad at that," he chuckled.

Sora's dad also nodded, "Certainly can't be mad at that."

Riku felt a tug on his shirt and glanced down to see one of his little cousins trying to get his attention, a little girl about four with hair as dark as everybody else's. He knelt down to her level so he could hear her over the music. "What is it, hon?" He couldn't remember her name. Many of his younger cousins were around two to three years old when he left the islands.

"Unca Wiku, Tammy says yer gunna mawwy Mista Sowa. Is dat twoo?"

Riku couldn't help giggling. It was too cute! Even Sora managed to hear it and was giggling as well. "Well I don't know," he answered playfully. "I haven't asked him yet."

"Ohhhh!" the little one nodded because that totally makes sense and she ran off, presumably to tell the others what she had just heard from Unca Wiku.

Sora giggled even harder into his hand. "Why do they call you Uncle Riku?"

The group of older men laughed. "It's because his hair makes them think he's much older than he is," one of the older cousins explained.

Riku shrugged helplessly, "They figure it out eventually."

"Sora! Riku! Over here!" Kairi shouted at them from the beach and waved them over. Relieved to have an out, Riku politely said good-bye and hurried with Sora to where Kairi was waiting for them.

"What's up?" Sora asked.

"Nothing, it just looked like you needed rescuing," Kairi grinned cheekily.

"And you were right, but about three minutes late," Riku chuckled. "Thanks."

"Well, I was distracted by all the hot gossip the moms were talking about," Kairi explained. "One of your aunts asked if we were dating and I had to convince them that we weren't."

"Sorry," Riku apologized. This was just getting embarrassing. His own family was usually tight-lipped and no-nonsense, except when his dad gets a few beers in, but even then his mother keeps him in line. So he wasn't sure how to deal with all this busy body talk.

"You don't need to apologize," Kairi laughed. "I think it's kind of flattering."

"Still, they have a lot of nerve asking you about that stuff when your parents are here too. It just seems disrespectful," Riku added.

"Nah, I know they don't mean any harm," the redhead reassured him.

Riku could see Kairi's parents were also getting a little overwhelmed. After all, when you're mayor, you're bound to get a lot of people asking about politics. Sora's mom seemed to be coming to their rescue, though, in her own way. Relieved, he turned his attention back to his friends. "Well, I'm glad you're both here. I think I would've been hiding in my room by now if you weren't," he admitted.

"Eh, no you wouldn't," Kairi giggled nervously. "Some of your cousins are playing in your bedroom. I saw them when I went to use the bathroom."

"Oh great," Riku rolled his eyes. Thankfully, most of his important stuff had already been moved to the treehouse so there was not much they can mess with...except... "Shit! Hold on!" he handed his drink to Sora and ran inside the house. He had to politely shove past more family friends and relatives to even reach the stairs where even more kids were playing. When he reached his bedroom, he found more of his little cousins...and four of his teen-aged female cousins, about 13-15.

They were just sitting on his bed and watching the little ones play with the things they found in his room, but one of them was also holding his journal. "Hand it over, Joceline," he told her calmly with his hand out. "You know you shouldn't mess with stuff that doesn't belong to you."

The girl rolled her eyes and handed it over. "Doesn't matter. We already read it."

"Yeah," one of the other three said.

"You're like SO obsessed with Sora. It's kinda sad."

"I think it's sweet," one of the quieter ones spoke up.

"You would!" the fourth one rolled her eyes.

"And why are there flowers in it? Boys don't like flowers."

"They sure do," Riku said patiently. "Have you ever asked them?"

"No! She's too scared to talk to boys!"

"Am not!"

"Soooo what's with all that nonsense about crystals? You writing a story or something? Cuz it sounds lame."

"If it's so lame why did you read it?" Riku argued.

"We were bored. Plus, our moms said you didn't have a girlfriend. We found that hard to believe."

"So she said we should snoop in your stuff," the quiet one explained softly.

The silverette raised an eyebrow, "Oh you do, huh?"

"Yeah, everybody knows you're the best."

"Uh-huh! You're always the favorite."

"Even though you're so weird."

"Weird?" Riku couldn't help asking. Leave it to young teenage girls to tell you how it is.

"Yeah, your hair is awesome, but you're the only one. It's not fair!"

"And you have such big muscles, but we never see you at the docks anymore!"

"And your eyes changed colors!"

"And are these YOUR glasses? Nobody in our family wears glasses."

"Yes, they're mine," Riku sighed with exasperation. "Please don't play with them. And I bet they would wear glasses if they weren't so stubborn," he added.

"That's probably true," the quiet one said. "My dad has to hold things close to his face to read."

"Yeah, mine too."

"Yeah, same."

Riku smiled wearily. "So anyway, do me a favor and don't go talking about what you read. It's just going to confuse people."

"Oh sure, but only if you answer a question for us," one of them grinned mischievously.

"And that is?"

"We heard that you and Sora are more than friends."

"Yeah, somebody we know saw you kissing him at the pier."

"And at the party."

"So what are you then?"

Riku rested a fist on his hip as he considered the question. Should he just tell them? Would they understand? Then again, he wished somebody would've told _him_ that boys could love each other when he was their age. "Sora's my boyfriend," he answered.

"You mean a friend that's a boy?"

"No," Riku laughed. "I mean we're a couple. We're together," he elaborated.

"One of them gasped, but all of them look torn between bewilderment and downright giddiness. "OH EM GEE!, you HAVE to tell us more!"

"More?" Riku asked nervously, a little taken aback by these reactions.

"Have you kissed him yet?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to marry him?"

"Probably."

They erupted into a fit of squeals that nearly deafened Riku. "Oh my gosh, why haven't you told anybody?"

"You're not allowed to date in high school," the quiet one reminded them.

"Oh right," they all nodded in unison.

Sora suddenly appeared in the doorway. Riku hadn't realized he had been gone for so long to warrant Sora coming to get him. The brunette gave him a questioning look and Riku nodded that everything was okay, indicating to the journal clutched protectively under his arm. The girls erupted into more squealing, now seeing Sora in a whole new light. "Uh...what's going on here?" Sora blinked. Riku just shook his head and took his hand to walk back out with him. "Don't mess with any more of my stuff!" he shouted back over his shoulder before the two started walking down the stairs.

"I didn't realize you had such a big family!" Sora shouted over the deafening noise that blasted throughout the house as they headed back outside.

"Why do you think my parents only had one child?" Riku asked.

"Ah, makes sense."

Kairi must've gotten snatched away again because she wasn't outside waiting for them when they finally pushed their way out of the house. In desperate need of a breather, Riku took Sora to the other side of the house into the side garden where there weren't any people. Together, they leaned against the side of the house, careful to avoid stepping on any flowers as they hid from view.

"Phew," Riku let out a long sigh of relief and felt Sora's hand slip into his, which he squeezed appreciatively.

"How long is this party going to last?" the brunette asked gently.

Riku shook his head. "Who knows? Even then, I don't think there's going to be any escape. I'm sure many of them are staying overnight."

"Treehouse then?"

"Definitely," Riku grinned and leaned in for a kiss. When they parted, he held Sora close by his waist. "I'm sorry about all of that back there," he muttered quietly.

"Don't be," Sora assured him before giving him another kiss, reaching up to loop his arms around Riku's neck and rest them on his broad shoulders. "You can tell them at your own pace. We're in this together, so I'll always back you up, whatever you decide."

"I don't care if they know and I don't care if they approve, but I also don't want to cause trouble for my parents," Riku explained.

"Hey, if any trouble happens, it's not because of you, it's because of _them_. Your parents know that, and my family does too. But I get it; it would be nice if trouble didn't happen at all."

"Yeah..."

"I feel like a lot of them know, or at least the little ones do," Sora giggled.

"Kids know everything," Riku smirked.

"Haha, yeah, they do in a way."

Riku smiled fondly at the teen in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you too," Sora smiled back. "So much."

They kissed again, longer this time. Sora was his ultimate escape. With him here in his arms, nothing else mattered. But maybe it wasn't a good idea for him to allow himself to forget where they were because suddenly they heard the sound of glass shattering as somebody had dropped their drink. Startled, they broke apart and turned around quickly to see one of Riku's older cousins practically GAWKING at them. "Holy shit..."

Riku was at a loss for words. "Uh..."

The cousin's face just lit up! "I thought they were all joking!" he exclaimed as if he had found the scoop of the century or something.

"Well, you see--"

"Well damn, now I feel like I've seen everything!"

Sora covered his mouth to stifle his laughter while Riku frowned slightly. "Do you mind?"

"Oh, no, not at all. Pardon _me_ ," the inebriated cousin laughed before walking away to give them their privacy.

Sora looked up at Riku, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just...I don't know how many more "outings" I can take. It's exhausting!" He let out a breath and put a hand over his heart.

"Well maybe you can get it done all in one go?" Sora suggested, though he was mostly joking.

Riku perked up at the suggestion. "In one go? How?"

"Well, they're bound to ask you to make a speech or something, right? Something to say thank you and announce your future plans? Maybe say something then?"

"Hmm...you know, it's funny, I never thought I owed any of them an explanation for anything. But seeing them all here and being here this past year has made me realize more and more that despite everything I don't _want_ to be disconnected from them. And one day they'll be your family too, so you shouldn't feel disconnected, either."

Sora blushed. "Welllll, we can stay disconnected from SOME of them, right?"

Riku laughed, "Oh absolutely. That's why there's a barrier around the house."

"I'm starting to get it now!" Sora laughed.

"So how should I announce...us?"

"Hmmm...I'm not sure. But if you want, I can stand with you while you make your speech?"

"I'd like that."

"I'm sure the opportunity will present itself," Sora grinned confidently.

"I knew I should've rehearsed something," Riku grumbled.

"Don't be nervous. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Hmm...I guess it would be weird if they rioted. And I'm not going to join the business, so if they disown me it wouldn't matter. So I guess there really is no need to worry."

"That's the spirit?" Sora chuckled nervously. "Maybe we should get back. Besides, the dance floor is calling our names!"

"Pfft, sure," Riku laughed and let Sora drag him to the dance floor.

One of Riku's cousins was DJ-ing the party. It was a pretty amateur set-up, but for a beach party, it wasn't bad. It certainly was loud enough and he had clearly bought every quirky light fixture the party store had to offer. Some even looked homemade with cans painted black strung over repurposed fairy lights and colored lightbulbs. For the most part, it looked like only the kids were dancing, except when an old song came on and the adults couldn't resist joining in. So Riku and Sora met up with Kairi again and the three of them danced together along with all the little cousins. Even the tween cousins started to join in when they saw Riku dancing and of course, they wanted all of his attention.

Though his cousins were a rowdy bunch, Riku did feel like he was finally having fun. He and Sora started showing off a few of their moves that may or may not have been heavily inspired by their keyblade fighting, filled with flips and spins and other acrobatics. Even Kairi showed off a few of her moves. Together, her and Sora demonstrated some of the moves they came up with while they were fighting their way back from the Final World. While they were showing off, of course Riku's little cousins wanted "Unca Wiku" to flip them around, too. As they kept him occupied, Sora even stole a dance with Riku's mom, the normally quiet and reserved woman laughing jovially as Sora spun and dipped her. Not wanting to be left out, Sora's mom jumped in, too. So somehow, Sora found himself dancing with both moms, spinning one with each arm. Then Riku cut in and stole Sora's mom and tore up the dance floor, both moms screaming and cry-laughing as they were lifted above the boys' heads and spun and flipped around every which way, earning applause from all the party-goers who had migrated to the dance floor to watch. Naturally, the dads had to step in too, though they looked like THEY were the ones getting steered by their wives instead.

Finally, the music began to slow down and Riku hurried to grab Sora's hand. Kairi got asked to dance by one of Riku's cousins around her age and the little ones all toddled off to the sidelines as more and more pairs joined the dance floor. Riku felt his heart race as he pulled Sora closer, eliminating the distance between them almost entirely so he could put his arm around his waist. Sora beamed up at him with that beautiful smile of his and finally he felt like he could breathe again as they broke into a slow two-step. He could feel eyes turning to focus on them one by one, but he didn't care. He just sighed happily and leaned his head down to rest his head on top of Sora's while Sora rested his head against his shoulder. Both of them had serene smiles painted on their faces as they lost themselves to the music. 

The song ended way too soon. Riku didn't want to lift his head from Sora's and it was a long second until he realized his mother was tapping his shoulder. "It's almost time to serve the cake. You should say a few words," she suggested gently. Riku nodded and followed after her. True to his word, Sora stayed two steps behind and Kairi after him. Riku's mom led him over to his cousin and the music faded out. After a quick handshake and hug, his cousin spoke into the mic, "Alright, put your hands together for the man of the hour!" Everybody stopped what they were doing and clapped while Riku was handed the mic.

He swallowed hard and stole a quick glance to his right to make sure his friends were standing nearby, relieved to seem them there and giving him an encouraging smile before he spoke. "First of all, I want to thank you all for being here and for all your gifts and well wishes, your encouraging words, and your support. I know it's been a while since I've seen most of you and it's been great catching up with all of you. I'm so blessed to have such a big, big, BIG family," he laughed as did all his relatives. "A lot of you had questions so I'll just get those out of the way before we dive into the cake, so that way you'll have brand new questions to ask me after, I'm sure." Again, they laughed, many of them nodding with that sentiment. "So uh, the big one. No, I don't have plans to take part in the family business." Murmurs broke out but he continued before he lost his nerve. "I'm not going to college, either. I plan to finish moving out and go back to doing my other job that I've put on hold while I finished high school. When I'm not doing that, I'll be finishing up the home we have built for Sora and I. So I'll be away a lot, but I'm sure I'll be seeing you around. No matter where I go, this place will always be home." He paused to give them all a smile, a genuine smile...a hopeful one, hopeful that they would understand and just leave it be. "So thank you all again. And an especially big thanks to mom and dad for throwing together this awesome party." He extended a hand towards them and everybody clapped, including himself. "And of course, thank you for all your love and support. I know it probably hasn't been easy these past few years, but just know that I love you both very much."

Riku's mom started to cry and even his dad's eyes were starting to well up. It was making Riku emotional too. He wiped at one eye and gave a big smile and tried to chuckle through it. His family chuckled good-naturedly as well, all of them clearly touched. "I also want to thank my friends for making my last year of high school memorable and lastly I want to thank Sora and Kairi's parents for also being so good to us. They've treated me like one of their own, especially when I got back. So thank you very much. Love you guys, too. Um...I love all of you." He turned slightly and scratched the back of his head as he tried to hide his reddening face while everybody aww'd. Finally he laughed and looked up again. "Alright, I'm done. Let's have some cake!" His family laughed and gave him a long round of applause, whooping, hollering, and whistling as they shouted their congratulations before they slowly started gathering in line for cake.

Riku helped his mom serve every slice of cake so he could again see every relative and greet them before rejoining Kairi and Sora. "Great speech, Riku!" Sora beamed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"You did great!" Kairi also praised before before she kissed Riku's other cheek.

"Thanks, both of you. I don't think I could've kept my composure if I didn't know you were both standing there," he reddened. TO be honest, he's not entirely sure his heart rate has returned to normal yet. Now that it was over he was beginning to feel a little weak in the knees, but maybe that was due in part to the dancing as well.

"You did good," Sora reassured him with a playful nudge with his elbow.

"Now we just gotta wait for round two..." Riku added solemnly.

Kairi nodded. "Don't worry, we've got your back."

Sora looked around. Sure, everybody was busy eating cake NOW, but they were clearly sneaking glances at Riku and Sora swore he could see their questions written on their faces from the expressions they wore.

"But I'm not worried," Riku quickly added and nodded to the kids. "Soon the little ones will get fussy and their parents will have to take them home so the crowd should thin out soon enough."

Sora grinned deviously, "Maybe we can wear them out a little faster."

Kairi also smiled. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

"I am NOT getting inside that bounce house," Riku warned adamantly. "My hip wouldn't survive!"

"Ew, no," Kairi agreed. "Too many kid germs."

"Oh right, yeah, germs...gross," Sora coughed.

"You wanted to go in the bounce house, didn't you?" Riku grinned.

"No!" the brunette insisted a little too loudly.

Riku laughed as Sora's cheeks dusted pink. "How about the three of us try it out ourselves when the guests disperse?" he offered.

Sora brightened. "Yes!"

Kairi laughed, "Okaaaaaay, sure."

As if the kids knew what they were planning, they flocked to Riku as soon as they had their cake. The three teens helped them get less sticky before they all played together. Of course, they all demanded more flips in the sand and almost every other second they were shouting, "Watch me! Watch me!" as they performed their own clumsy solo acrobatics for the teens to cheer on and praise. After that, it was piggy back rides until they were too tired to go on, flopping onto their backs in the sand, breaths heaving while the little ones begged for more.

Kairi volunteered to get them some drinks and hurried away to escape their needy little cries, leaving Sora and Riku alone to deal. "Haha, just give me a minute, guys!" Riku laughed as they tugged on his arms in an effort to get him up. Sora laughed and smiled as he watched Riku interact with them. His heart felt so warm as he wondered what Riku would be like as a father. The idea of raising a family with him one day made butterflies dance in his stomach and his heart fluttered all the way up to his throat. One day, he was sure of it, Riku would make a wonderful father. But no hurry. After all, as silly as it seemed, he wasn't quite ready to share Riku yet.

Kairi approached the cooler of drinks and grabbed three cold bottled sodas for them, fishing out the boys' favorite flavors before gathering them in her arms to go back. When she turned, she saw the way Sora was smiling at Riku and paused, smiling too as she gazed fondly at the both of them. She was about to start walking again when her ears picked up a bit of stray chatter beside her, about Riku.

"Riku would make a great dad! You need to get that boy married quick so he can get you some grandchildren at the very least!"

The group of ladies chortled, but Kairi could hear Riku's mother speak up, her voice quiet, but firm. "He will marry Sora when he's ready. I can wait for grandchildren a little longer."

There were confused noises amongst the group. "So wait, it's true? You poor dear!"

"I'm very proud of both of them. I'm not worried. Riku told me he'll get me grandchildren and my boy has never let me down."

Kairi smirked to herself before hurrying along so nobody would catch her eavesdropping. She could hear Sora's mom nearby so she took a detour to casually walk by her as well. "Sora's gotten so handsome. If it doesn't work out with Kairi, we should introduce him to some of the girls! That way he can marry into the family!" another one of Riku's family members joked.

Sora's mother let out a strained laugh. "Thank you, but he's already dating one of your family," she informed them as politely as she could possibly muster through gritted teeth and a forced smile on her face.

They gasped! "Which one?"

Sora's mom just laughed. "Take a guess for yourself."

Kairi hurried away as the conversation sounded like it was getting tense. Besides, she could see the two boys on the beach looking for her. As she approached them, she realized a couple of Riku's older cousins were approaching the pair. Just as Riku predicted, a lot of the little ones had been taken home by now, so it seems only the ones with older kids remained.

Riku looked up to see two of his cousins, two males in their early twenties from his mom's side of the family standing over them. "Hey," he greeted, still a little out of breath.

"Hey," they greeted back. "Great party. Why are you spending it with the kids? You're not hiding, are you?"

"I've got no reason to hide," Riku answered coolly. "Why? Did you want a piggy back ride too?"

Both let out a laugh and a scoff. "Nah, we just wanted to hear about this house you built."

"Oh. Well, we just repurposed the treehouse on the land that grandpa left me," Riku explained humbly.

"So you actually built a house in a tree? And you're going to live there??" one of them asked in complete disbelief, as if Riku were pulling a prank or something.

Riku shrugged. "Why not? It's no different from the cottages with elevated foundations, right?" he pointed out.

"No, that's still way different," one of them argued. "But it sounds cool. You should show us sometime."

Riku cautiously pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I guess I can show you a few pictures--"

"So where were you REALLY these past couple of years?"

Riku frowned. Here it comes. "What do you mean?"

"Were you really swept away by the storm or did you run away and drag Sora along with you?"

Sora also frowned. "Who cares how it happened? What's important is that we got back, isn't it?" the brunette defended.

"Oh sure, it's just that gramps insisted he saw Riku while he was gone. We just thought he hallucinated, of course."

Riku's eyes widened as he felt a pang of guilt stab him in the heart. He turned his eyes downcast. "I-I wish I got a chance to see him..."

"Yeah, well, you got a good deal, didn't you?" one of them smirked.

Riku's eyes narrowed at the pair. "Watch what you say," he warned icily.

"Are you here to pick a fight or something?" Sora asked in exasperation, already over it with the baiting that the two cousins were clearly doing.

"Of course not. But now that the golden boy isn't taking over as head, we don't have to kiss up to him anymore."

Riku let out a scoff. "So that's it then. Do all of you feel that way?"

Sora gently touched the silverette's wrist. "Riku..."

Riku looked away. "Never mind, I don't care." He stood and brushed the sand off of himself. Kairi chose that moment to step in with the drinks. "I'm back, guys!" she greeted cheerfully.

Sora smiled at the redhead gratefully, "What took you so long?" The other two walked off to leave them be, Riku glaring at their backs as they left. His look softened as he accepted the offered drink from Kairi. "Thanks." _At least this world isn't so small that I'll run into them again any time soon._ He thought to himself.

"I'm sure that was upsetting...I'm sorry, Riku," Kairi murmured softly.

"It's fine. This is how it always is during the big family gatherings. That's why I asked my parents to stop throwing me big birthday parties," Riku explained.

"The cleanup is going to be terrible," Sora shook his head. "We should help before we go to the treehouse tonight."

"Yeah," Riku nodded. He glanced back towards the party. It looked like it was winding down. Only the adults who were still drinking were left and the other teens looked like they ditched with their parents already. "Heh, wanna check out the bounce house now?" he asked.

Sora's face broke into a wide smile. "Thought you'd never ask!"

The three piled into the empty bouncy castle and had a ball hopping around inside. They tackled each other, tried to bounce Kairi all the way to the ceiling, and played a game where they held hands in a circle and bounced while seeing how long they could hold on. Sora couldn't help thinking he hadn't bounced this much since that time he visited Pooh. He needs to ask Merlin if he could take a look at the story book again someday. Thankfully, Riku's side didn't bother him like he thought it would, but they all stopped when they heard a shriek from what sounded like Sora's mom!

"I will NOT let you stand there and talk about our sons that way!"

The trio quickly opened the bounce house flap and saw Sora and Riku's moms facing down who Riku recognized to be his mother's sisters. Riku's mother had already put out a hand to stop Sora's mother, stepping forward to stare down the three women with a glare that would bring whole armies down to their knees.

"Oh shit..." Riku whispered. "We should stay out of this one."

"Agreed," Sora nodded, slightly cowering behind Riku.

"What? I'm just stating facts!" the sister in the middle shouted. "They're both SELFISH! Without Riku, the others will just fight over who should lead in his stead! It'll tear the family apart. And neither of them will be able to make an heir for either of you if they REALLY intend to stay together. Then again, maybe it's _your_ faults. After all, if you both had more children, you could've avoided--"

The woman's rant was suddenly cut off as she was sent spinning with a resounding **SLAP** as Riku's mother's palm made contact with her face! Sora's mom looked distraught, tears silently streaming down her face as she watched the woman fall to the sand. Both their husbands hurried over, but Riku's mom was already dragging her sister out of the yard by her long hair, the other sisters following after her, screaming while they begged her to stop. "Don't ever show your face to me again," Riku's mom commanded in a cold voice that could freeze the entire ocean, her words absolute before she threw her to the ground and walked away.

Sora snapped out of his shock and dashed out of the bounce house to help his dad console his mother and Riku was just stunned speechless and motionless as he stayed inside the inflatable castle next to Kairi as the scene continued to unravel before them.

"I-I don't understand," Kairi choked around the mixed emotions that caused tears to clog her throat.

Riku finally let out a weary sigh before he spoke, "I'm an only child by choice. Sora, on the other hand..."

Kairi's eyes widened with realization. "I had no idea."

The two of them watched Sora's mom hug Sora to her tightly while he tried to console her. The dads were clearing out the other guests, shooing them away before any more drama could be allowed to happen. Anybody who was staying the night was told to just go inside the house, leaving only the trio, their parents, and a handful of others who were hurrying to gather their things.

Riku swallowed hard before he continued. "When I was little, I heard my mom once say that Sora is a rainbow baby. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but later I found out it means a baby born after another has been lost to miscarriage. I don't know all the details but I heard that his parents tried for a long time. To put it simply, Sora's a miracle."

"I see..." It made Kairi think of her own parents. They adopted her when she came to the islands because they couldn't conceive a child either. "What a rough way to end the party. I'm sorry, Riku."

The silverette just shrugged and stood up to exit the bouncy inflatable, offering a hand to Kairi to help her out too. "This doesn't surprise me in the least. I just wish Sora's mom didn't have to get caught up in it, too."

. . .

The trio and their parents helped clean up. What other relatives stayed were already in the house and fast asleep. Riku apologized to Sora's mother and gave her the biggest of hugs, but she said apologies were not needed from him. It was all just drunk adults being dumb, she assured him. "Just a shame to end the party on a sour note," she added.

"Are you kidding? I'm calling this party a success!" Riku laughed cheerfully in an attempt to console her. "Only one person got physically assaulted, nobody had to be rescued from the ocean, the windows are intact, and dad didn't have to throw any punches!"

"This guy did, though," Riku's dad indicated to Sora's dad with his thumb. "Knocked 'em right out!" he cackled proudly.

"Dad did!?" Sora gasped, almost sorry he missed it! Whatever happened must've been really bad for HIS dad to lose his cool.

"I'm not proud of it," his dad muttered as he rubbed his sore knuckles.

"But he deserved it," Riku's dad added. "You may not be proud, but I sure am."

"Do I even want to know?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry about it," his dad smiled.

"Just think, next year it'll be Sora and Kairi's turn!" Riku's dad chortled.


	90. Legacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What lies ahead for the future of the worlds?

It was really late, but neither Sora or Riku bothered to check the time. Having exhausted themselves at Riku's graduation party, going straight to bed wasn't even a discussion. But now, staring up at the bright moon through the skylight, neither could fall asleep.

Sora watched the stars while he idly brushed his fingers through Riku's hair, his arm around the older teen whose head was resting on his chest with an arm draped over Sora's waist. They could tell just from the way they were breathing that the other had a lot on their mind, but neither knew where to start.

"I think...I'm starting to get it now..." Sora breathed. It was mostly a statement aimed at himself, but he said it just loud enough in case Riku wanted to talk.

"Get what?" Riku asked as he scooched even closer to settle into Sora.

Sora continued to run his fingers through Riku's feathery locks, but they moved slower, at a more thoughtful pace. "Why you kept saying this world is too small."

"Because you met more of my family?" Riku questioned.

"Well, I might be overthinking this, but a lot of couples from our parents' generation only have one kid. A lot are also like my mom...struggling. Like Kairi's parents."

Riku nodded. It was true. Many of the kids they played with growing up (what few there were) didn't even have siblings, yet their own parents DID have siblings. "But you have to remember, too, there are a lot of families who can't afford more than one. So it's not like they can't, there just aren't a lot of resources...or space," Riku added.

Sora nodded. "But our grandparents could, and your family is kind of an exception."

Riku hummed, "Mm-hmm. More resources and most of them live on the water for a majority of the year. That's why we usually don't run into them. And even though a lot of them went to our middle school, many didn't bother with high school because they knew they were going to do what the family already does. A lot of the girls in the family are still in middle school, though, so they MIGHT go to high school, more than likely. But anyway...I'm sorry, I got off-track. You were saying?"

Sora giggled. Riku was so cute when he sleepy-rambled. "Just that we're only one generation off and already things are looking too small, at least on this side of the island. I guess I'm just wondering how many more generations can this world sustain before the resources dry out...or the gene pool does? And not just this one, what about the other worlds?"

"Hmm..."

Sora sighed, "Sorry, it's probably dumb to think about."

"No, it's not dumb at all," Riku reassured him. "You're right; it is troubling. Some of the worlds we've seen are very young and have very few people."

"Yeah and...the worlds used to be connected, right? The light from the hearts of surviving children from the old world make up the worlds as we know them today. I'm just thinking...if we can find a way to curb the threat of darkness, maybe we can open up the pathways again? Just having other worlds to visit could SAVE a lot of lives."

"It could also be very dangerous," Riku reminded him.

"Yeah, but if people can learn and respect other worlds, it doesn't have to be. If they USED to be one anyway, why shouldn't they be reunited NOW?"

Riku smiled. "Makes sense to me. It's quite the dream, though."

Sora laughed. "I know, but...I guess...I've been giving a lot of thought to the future and what lies ahead. I keep thinking about the kind of world we'll leave behind for our own children and other future generations. I don't like the idea of more having to fight like we have...and not knowing there's more."

"Yeah...I've been thinking about that too...and what legacy we'll be leaving behind," Riku mused.

"Yeah...have we made things better by being here or did we just fight to keep things the same?"

"You're right. Without change, things become stagnant and will inevitably decay," Riku sighed. "This is some heavy pillow talk coming from you."

Sora laughed, "I blame you."

Riku smirked. "You're welcome."

There was a whole two seconds of silence before the brunette started giggling and Riku couldn't help giggling along with him.

"Good night, Riku."

"Good night, Sora."


	91. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The keyblade masters gather at long last to discuss how to deal with Darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler Warning for KHuX and Dark Road

Still coming down from the high of their blitzball victory and Riku's graduation a week ago, Sora and Riku struggled to get themselves back into the necessary headspace needed for the discussion they were about to have with Masters Yen Sid, Terra, and Aqua. Their time was short. After all, Terra and Aqua shouldn't leave Ven on his own for too long. When they arrived at the Mysterious Tower, they discovered the other two hadn't arrived yet, so Sora suggested the three of them call Vanitas on the gummi phone to ask him for his input. Vanitas didn't seem to happy to be on the video call, but he dealt with it, albeit with a scowl on his face whenever he saw Riku on screen.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Vanitas. But this is important," Sora apologized.

"I know," the raven-haired teen replied. "Go ahead. But you might not like the answers you'll get."

"You mentioned the past and how you're the one who remembers most of it?" the brunette inquired while Riku and Yen Sid listened intently.

Vanitas took a second before he answered as if considering his answer carefully, "I'm made of Ventus's darkness, so I hold his darkest memories. Back then, even before the keyblade war, the worlds were one and there was light. But that doesn't mean it was sunshine and rainbows for the world's inhabitants, not for those who wielded keyblades, anyway." He paused before continuing as if he were swallowing back a vile taste in his mouth. "His days were lonely. Friendless, he did his best to survive with only his Chirithy by his side. Over time he noticed his fellow union members disappearing as they fell to darkness, never to return. Then at some point he started having trouble remembering things, which is probably when Darkness first appeared."

Sora nodded. That much made sense. Darkness clearly saw a vulnerability in Ven. He waited for Vanitas to continue but he could see from the way Vanitas shifted that he was beginning to have trouble recounting things.

"Darkness ensured that Ventus would survive the keyblade war, but at a cost. Ventus didn't ask for it. Darkness just did what it wanted. It ensured Ventus would be one of the five who were tasked with watching over the surviving keyblade wielders. And then it made an appearance. I don't remember a lot of details. But I know Darkness said this: It doesn't have a goal. It doesn't think like people do, but it is curious about people. It chose Ventus because it had already been decided in the Book of Prophecies that he'd be fated to harbor darkness. It's old friends with the Master of Masters. There's more darkness than light."

Sora nodded grimly. He figured as much. Though what Vanitas said about Ven already being chosen by the Book of Prophecies and Darkness knowing about it...there was a paradox to be had there. Master Yen Sid was taking this all in thoughtfully.

"What do you plan to do?" Vanitas asked.

"We know it's afraid of our combined keyblade. If we can't use it to destroy Darkness....Riku and I think we can at least seal it away," Sora explained.

"THAT'S your plan? And what would happen to Ventus?" Sora looked down, avoiding eye contact with the camera and Vanitas sighed. "That's...well...knowing that idiot, he'd tell you to do it anyway." Sora nodded and Vanitas frowned. Clearly there was nothing else that either of them could say. "I don't think you need anything else from me, so I'm going to let you go."

"Right. Thanks, Vanitas."

"Don't thank me, idiot," the raven-haired teen huffed before hanging up.

"A pity we couldn't find out more, but alas, we have current matters to discuss," Master Yen Sid sighed.

"We were probably lucky to get that much out of him," Riku grumbled with his arms crossed.

"I can only imagine what Ven is going through...and what he had went through in the past," Sora wondered out loud, his heart aching for their friend.

"Perhaps before we get started, I impart some good news first," Master Yen Sid offered. Sora and Riku looked up curiously. "Master Riku, His Majesty asked me to give you your graduation present in his stead since he couldn't join us today."

Riku tilted his head. He hadn't expected a present. "For me, sir?"

The wizard smiled before sliding a set of keys across his desk. "I trust you recognize these."

Both teens let out a gasp as they recognized the familiar keys. "The gummi ship!?" they both exclaimed!

"But why?" Riku asked as he picked up the keys.

The kind wizard chortled. "The king has gotten a newer model and felt the two of you could use the old one. It'll stay docked at the castle until you need it."

"Wow...I'll have to thank him soon," Riku smiled down at the keys before pocketing them. It was just then that they heard Masters Terra and Aqua arrive in the courtyard on their keyblade vehicles. In no time, they joined Sora and Riku in Master Yen Sid's study where they exchanged warm greetings.

"You've grown, Master Sora," Aqua chuckled as she playfully ruffled Sora's hair. "I think you and Ven might be neck and neck now."

Sora snickered appreciatively as he half-heartedly tried to escape her hand. "It's good to see you again."

Riku smiled a little sadly at both their mentors, "I just wish it were under more cheerful circumstances." Terra nodded and rested a heavy hand on Riku's shoulder, wordlessly agreeing with him.

"Then let's not forego it any longer," Master Yen Sid offered, breaking the solemn silence at long last. "First, let's go over what we know regarding Darkness and where it came from..."

* * *

Ven wandered the wasteland that was the Keyblade Graveyard. The barren landscape was hot and windy but still the keyblade wielder felt chilled as he allowed himself to take in the sight of the many keyblades that served as grave markers. "I wonder...how many of them I knew personally?" he wondered out loud.

Chirithy appeared at his side in a spark of light and a puff of blue smoke. "Why are we here, Ven?" it asked sadly, afraid of the answer.

"Terra and Aqua left...and I think I know why. My heart told me this is the place I should go."

"The heart can be misled, Ven." Chirithy quivered and clung to his ankle in an attempt to keep him from making another step. "Let's just go home and wait for them to come back."

"I'm sorry, Chirithy. I can't. Somebody's here waiting for me."

"It's not you they're waiting for, Ven. You're just the one that's going to get hurt! Please! Let's go back!"

The blonde stopped and kneeled to Chirithy's level, the little creature wiping at its eyes as it worried for its friend. "Will you stay with me, Chirithy? Just one more time?"

The fuzzy creature sniffled loudly before giving a determined nod. "Okay."

Ven smiled and held out his arms to embrace his little buddy before picking it up and proceeding, holding his companion close to his chest. "I can feel something...something warm in my heart that's telling me it will be okay. I have to believe," he told Chirithy.

"Then...may your heart be your guiding key."

A harsh gust of wind temporarily blinded them with dust. When the cloud cleared, two people stood before them: a man with long pink hair dressed in a white blouse, black pants, and a black duster with embroidered red roses and a blonde woman dressed in a blue and black plaid skirt with a short black suit jacket and black t-shirt with a lightning bolt emblazoned on the front.

"Lauriam..." The name left Ven's lips automatically. His head began to ache as he tried to remember. He had no recollection of the blonde, but he could sense she was a keyblade wielder as well, or at least she used to be.

"You know why I'm here, Ventus," Lauriam spoke.

"Yes," Ven nodded solemnly before he set Chirithy down carefully.

The stern expression on Lauriam's face shifted slightly. "You've grown..."

Ven smiled, "So have you."

"Ugh, of course he has. It's been years. Can we just get this over with? I've seen enough of this place to last me a whole 'nother lifetime," the blonde woman scoffed impatiently earning a puzzled yet slightly amused look from Ventus.

"Any last words before we get started...Ven?" Lauriam asked.

Ven could only smile sadly as he looked at Lauriam, his eyes shining with unshed tears as he recalled the moments they shared together so long ago; brief but meaningful talks filled with encouraging words and friendly smiles. "Just that...I'm glad we were friends. Even if it was just for a little while."

A long silence filled the air between them. The blonde woman looked to Lauriam, sensing his doubt and turned on Ventus. "You have SOME nerve!" Ven blinked at the tone in her voice, startled enough to take a half step back as she jabbed a finger in his direction. "You think this is easy? What right do you have to make this harder than it has to be, you little worm!?"

"Elrena..." Lauriam said her name in a gentle tone that seemed to calm the irate blonde because she backed off and crossed her arms.

She glared at Ventus before rolling her eyes, "Let's just get this over with before his friends show up." The two drew their weapons, a keyblade for each of them.

"Summon yours, Ven," Lauriam demanded.

Ven swallowed hard, clenching his fists and taking a deep breath before he complied, calling his keyblade to his side and sliding into his stance.

The scowl on Elrena's face slipped into the tiniest semblance of a kinder smile. "We'll try to be quick," she said none too reassuringly before both charged for Ventus. But just as the blonde closed his eyes and waited for his end to come, his body felt cold and he felt to his knees as he heard cries of fear and disbelief, his head felt like it was splitting in two before he completely lost consciousness.

_"Careless..."_

* * *

"I don't like it. It feels like we're staging an execution!" Terra vehemently spat as Sora explained the plan should they fail to dispatch Darkness. But the more they spoke the more it felt like it wouldn't be the backup plan and rather it was the only plan.

"But what choice do we have? Are any of us really ready for another battle? Attacking now while it's still unaware might be our only chance!" Sora argued.

"If you can't think of a way out of this without hurting Ven, then maybe making you a keyblade master was a mistake," Terra retorted coldly.

Sora physically flinched. He understands how Terra must feel and that he was only being protective of Ven, but his words still stung.

"Terra!" Aqua scolded.

"We've done so much to keep Ven safe. I'm not throwing it all away, not when we've just gotten back!"

"Sora knows that. Remember, if it weren't for him Ven wouldn't be here at all. None of us would be!" she reminded him curtly.

"So that gives him the right to decide!?" Terra shouted.

"NOTHING has been decided," Riku spoke over them. "And besides, nobody said it was a permanent solution, just...a temporary fix."

"A fix that you don't know how it will affect Ven," Terra frowned.

"No...We know...But..." Sora clenched his fists, finally gathering the courage to speak up again. "Do we risk the lives of others by trying to take it head on? Do you want that on your conscience if we all fall again?" he asked.

Terra growled, "And what are your thoughts on the matter, Riku?"

Riku was also clenching his fists at his sides. He looked up from the hole he was staring into the floor to finally look Terra and Aqua in the eyes. "I don't want another war..." he said quietly. "I don't want to watch my friends die again. I don't see another way out of this." He watched as Terra's face fell and as Aqua clenched her hand over her heart. "I'm sorry about your master, and I don't condone what he did or what he tried to do, but I can't help but wonder if he's had a similar experience that made him act the way he did."

Master Yen Sid nodded gravely and spoke at last, "When Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort were in school, the lives of their classmates were sadly lost. After that, Master Xehanort wasn't seen for some time."

Riku looked back to Terra with resolve. "If there's a way to prevent bloodshed, that's the path I want to take. I know Ven would feel the same way."

Sora nodded solemnly. "Ven's heart is strong. I know he'll make it. But...he won't be able to use a keyblade anymore."

Aqua nodded, "You're right. A keyblade is an extension of one's heart. It would make sense."

"But will he still be Ven?" Terra asked.

"I'm sure of it. We just need to have faith in him. He's pulled through before. He can do it again," Sora answered with determination. Terra and Aqua clearly still had misgivings. He could see it on their faces. To be honest, so did he. He deflated a little. "Look, I want to believe more than anything that we can take Darkness on if we all work together, trust me. But I don't think we can take this thing on like any other enemy we've fought in the past. We don't know what it can REALLY do, but we know it won't hesitate to kill. There's too much at stake and should we lose...there's no coming back."

Aqua looked to Terra, "We don't have a lot of time to decide."

Riku placed a hand on Sora's shoulder to steady him and Sora smiled up at him appreciatively. But suddenly he felt like he couldn't breathe! His chest felt tight and his heart ached. He almost doubled over with pain!

"Sora! What is it?" Riku asked frantically.

Sora clutched at his chest and turned his head to look at Terra and Aqua as pain stabbed through his heart. "W-where did you leave Ven?"

Aqua's eyes widened. "He should be at home."

Sora shook his head. "I don't think he's there anymore. He's in danger. We have to find him. NOW!"


	92. Life Sentence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes._
> 
> _But don't be afraid._
> 
> _And don't forget..._
> 
> _\--But don't be afraid._
> 
> _You hold the mightiest weapon of all._
> 
> _So don't forget:_
> 
> _You are the one who will open the door._

Elrena clutched onto Lauriam whose bloody body laid strewn across her lap. He was alive but just barely. She had used her last potion to heal what should could, but now it was just her staring up at the shapeless form of Darkness itself. Ven's unconscious body laid motionless in the dirt. She had no other options as she faced down their enemy, feeling alone and helpless. "Tch," she gritted her teeth. She wouldn't cry. She refused. "What IS all of this for, anyway!?" she yelled at the shadow. "TELL ME!" she demanded. "I'm so tired of this shit. I didn't ask for any of this! Why don't you just die already!?" she shrieked as she threw up her arm and sent one last wave of lightning at her foe, a desperate attack fueled by her despair and frustration that threw up a thick dust cloud as the ground shook with the force of the subsequent roll of thunder. But even as her blinding attack lit up the sky, it was engulfed in black just as quickly, as if swallowed by the dark as the shapeless being grew larger, seemingly unaffected by the attack and was now poised to swallow Elrena as well.

The blonde let out a cry and shielded Lauriam's body with her own, curling defensively as she expected the end to come, but then she heard a splash and felt water drip on the back of her neck. "Water?" she blinked her eyes open in disbelief and looked up to see none other than--"DEMYX!? What the hell are you doing here!?"

The sitar player turned to beam at her, having surrounded them in a sphere of water to fend off Darkness's attack. "Heya! Long time no see! Was just in the neighborhood. The dunes have the best acoustics around!"

"You're crazy," Elrena choked, tears of relief stinging at her eyes as she shook her head and let out a laugh. "I never thought I'd be happy to see you."

"D'aw, right back at ya," Demyx winked.

 _"Pointless..."_ Darkness said before taking a step back, now reduced to the size it was earlier with the appearance of a cloak's shadow.

"We should probably run when we get the chance," Demyx suggested as he strummed a few notes on his sitar to summon a bunch of water clones.

"I can't carry this guy!" Elrena protested.

Demyx sighed, "Man, being nice is such a pain." He struck the cords and sent the water clones slashing at Darkness who got cut in half many times only to reform into one shape once again. The man began to panci and and played more notes rapidly to summon another wave, anything to distract this weird thing long enough for them to get away while Elrena struggled to stand with Lauriam who was beginning to stir awake.

"No, we can't leave it like this..." the pink-haired man groaned as he tried to stand on his own two feet.

"Another time," Elrena insisted. "We can't do anything if you're dead too," she reasoned.

"That's the spirit!" Demyx chirped. Above their heads they heard the whooshing of keyblade vehicles as a portal opened up in the sky. "Time to go!" Demyx gave a thumbs up before opening a portal of darkness beside them.

Sora landed first beside Ven, quickly jumping off of his keyblade vehicle and only just caught sight of what appeared to be Marluxia and Larxene walking into a portal of darkness. "DEMYX!" he shouted.

"Hey there, Sora!" Demyx greeted cheerfully as he strummed a few more notes to send one last wave of water clones at Darkness. "Love to chat, but you got it from here, right?" he chuckled nervously before backing into the portal to make his escape before it dissipated along with the sphere of water and his clones.

"Ven!" Aqua shouted as she too hurried to his side. The blonde was unconscious but appeared to be unhurt. Sora and Riku hurried to take a defensive stance as they took in the appearance of Darkness who was now shrinking until it was about human-sized. Terra joined them as Aqua tended to Ven who still wouldn't wake up. 

"Just what are you?" Terra asked as he held his keyblade outward, sizing up their enemy as it stood before them.

_"Darkness..."_

"It's time you left Ven alone!" Terra threatened.

_"But he's never alone. None of you are."_

Riku's blood ran cold and he narrowed his eyes as he studied the shapeless being. If this thing really was darkness itself it really could be anywhere and everywhere. So why Ven? And could it really be beaten?

Sora tightened his grip on his keyblade, cold sweat dripping down the side of his face inside his helmet. He too felt this cold dread that made it hard to breathe. He swallowed hard as he tried to steady himself but the longer he stared at Darkness the more he felt like he had stared it down once before. But then he felt something reassuring and looked to see Riku giving him a glance. Even with his helmet on, Sora knew Riku was giving him a strong look of encouragement. It filled him with resolve and he grinned before nodding and giving Darkness his full attention.

_Don't forget..._

"Don't be afraid," Sora whispered.

"Right." Riku nodded.

**"Kill them!"**

"VEN!" Aqua shouted from behind them. The group spun around to see Ven charging at her with his keyblade! "Ven, stop!" she begged as she blocked his blows with her own keyblade, throwing up a magical barrier to fend off his attacks. He then cast a gust of wind to rise into the air, face expressionless and eyes lightless as he spun with keyblade in hand to cast a devastating flurry of air blades at the entire party!

Sora instinctively dashed in front of Riku to block the lightning-fast attacks, but Terra and Aqua were thrown back! "Riku! We need to do something!" Sora shouted.

 _"There is nothing you can do."_ Darkness simply stated before reappearing between Terra and Aqua to wrap them in sleeves of dark matter that threatened to squeeze the life out of them, their armor creaking and crunching audibly from the forceful pressure.

"Let them go!" Riku roared before rushing forward to perform a vertical forward slash attack with beams of light and darkness to slash away at their bindings. His success appeared to surprise Darkness because it made no other moves to prevent him from freeing the two. Meanwhile, Sora clashed with Ven in the sky, both performing aerial attacks as Sora tried to reach Ven without hurting him while also keeping him away from the others, but it was like he wasn't even there! "Ven! Stop this! You have to wake up!" Sora pleaded as their keyblades clashed together in a stalemate.

He held steadfast, locking Ven in a defensive stance even as they eventually fell back to the ground. Despite everything, Ven was still physically stronger, and Sora's arms were quaking with the effort of holding him back. "Come on!" he growled in frustration.

"Sora!" Riku watched the brunette struggle and wanted to help but Darkness had other ideas, now slashing at the three masters with dark blade attacks that they dodged and parried. Its form began to grow and shadow heartless sprang into being all around them, as numerous as blades of grass. Aqua performed her feats of ice magic to mow down the oncoming mob as she spun round and round in a flurry of ice crystals while Terra transformed his keyblade into a giant ray gun in an attempt to dispatch Darkness. But even with a well-aimed shot, the beam merely phased through Darkness, the beam of light leaving only a bare pinprick on the shadow that threatened to engulf them.

"You won't win!" Riku shouted as he lunged forward and took his turn at hacking and slashing at Darkness with Braveheart, his attacks of light and shadow slicing through it like a knife to curtains. Darkness let out a deafening noise that shook the ground and made the Shadows quiver in fright as the light penetrated its form, but Riku didn't let up. "You're done!" he roared as he assaulted the black mass with another barrage of blows. But no matter how many holes he sliced into the dark being, it just split and stretched and rejoined itself until it suddenly faded away entirely.

"Where'd it go!?" Terra shouted and he and Aqua fought off the other hoards of heartless. Riku spun around to see Sora get thrown back, his body skidding across the desert floor as Darkness hovered behind Ven like a shadow, now back to a human-sized apparition.

_"There is more darkness than light. You will never win."_

Sora recovered and sprung to his feet, his eyes widening as he reached his hand out for Ven. "NO!" It was too late. Darkness retreated back inside the blonde's heart. Sora clenched his fist tightly around his keyblade. Their time was up. "RIKU!"

"I'm here!" the silverette shouted, air stepping to Sora's side just as Ven's eyes began to glow yellow. His face tore into an almost unnatural-looking smirk as he stared down the two teens.

"What will you do now? Kill your friend? We're curious." Darkness inquired with Ven's voice.

"You don't have to do this!" Sora shouted as he and Riku stood side by side and readied their next stance.

"We know."

Riku grit his teeth and firmed his resolve. "Let's do this, Sora."

Sora looked at Terra and Aqua who were quickly becoming overwhelmed by the shadows that threatened to form into a demon tide. He steeled his heart and wordlessly raised his hand with Riku's. Together, beams of light shot from their outstretched palms as they summoned their combined keyblade. The Darkness inhabiting Ven took a step back. "You didn't...?"

Time seemed to stop for Sora as he saw Darkness flinch. The fear on Ven's face genuine. "Ven..." He reached out with his heart. Desperate to reach him as he felt himself hesitate.

"Sora..."

Suddenly there was no Keyblade Graveyard. It was just the two of them, their hearts communicating through the connection they shared.

"Ven!" Sora choked, unable to find the words he wanted to say.

"It's okay, Sora," Ven smiled gently. "I've been around a long time. All I've ever wanted was to mean something to someone...to have friends. Friends to care about; friends who care about me. I got to have that and it's thanks to you. So I'm okay. If this is my fate, I accept it...gladly if it means keeping my friends safe."

"But Ven!" Sora pleaded, tears springing to his eyes and choking his throat. "I don't know if--"

"I trust you, Sora," Ven smiled before the projection of himself faded away and Sora was left staring down at Ven's heart station surrounded by an ever growing miasma of darkness.

Riku was back at Sora's side and together they watched as Ven's light pulsed through the dark as it held on. But when it did, Sora noticed a crack, a crack of white light that outlined about a quarter of Ven's heart station. "Riku!" Sora nodded towards the corner. "Let's put it there!"

It took Riku a second to comprehend what Sora was suggesting but he nodded. "There? Okay!" He wasn't sure if they would be successful, but he knew they had to try. Together, the two roared with determination as they brought down their keyblade, a long beam of light slicing through the dark and concentrating on the struggling miasma that writhed and roared as it shrank into a large sphere encased in light. Together, they then pointed the keyblade at the cracked portion of Ventus's heart station and levitated the sphere into the section, sealing it away inside.

Sora's heart raced and he asked whatever powers there might be for courage before he reached for the handle of their combined keyblade and gave it a hard YANK to wrench his golden half of the keyblade free!

"What are you doing!?" Riku shouted as he hurried to grab his dark half of the keyblade. "Sora?" he called the other's name, demanding to know what the brunette was trying to do.

Sora pointed his golden half of the keyblade at the section of Ven's heart where Darkness had been imprisoned. "Riku! The cracks! I need you to split it apart!" Riku looked at him. "Please, Riku. Trust me!"

Riku didn't hesitate for another second, entrusting their fate to Sora as he followed his directions. "MIRAGE SPLIT!" he shouted as he swung his dark half of the keyblade and slashed at the cracks until the imprisoned Darkness section broke away at the seams. But as it split away, he recognized a familiar warmth emanating from it, a light that strangely reminded him of..."SORA!" he shouted and turned to the brunette, reaching out for him as he realized what he intended to do. "WAIT!"

"NIGHTMARE BREAK!" Sora cried and brought his keyblade down before he could be stopped, slashing forward to complete the separation and both were blinded by a white light.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!"

They were in the Keyblade Graveyard again and Ven was screaming, clutching his chest as he felt his heart being sliced and split. Finally, a piece of it exited his chest and floated before him, small and red and twinkling brightly. Sora and Riku's combined keyblade disappeared in a shower of light and Sora held his hands out to beckon the heart piece towards himself before clutching it and inserting the piece into his own chest to rejoin his own heart.

Terra and Aqua heard Ventus's screams and Terra roared with fury, slicing through the remaining heartless that began disappearing one by one so he could reach him with Aqua right behind him. "What have you done!?" Both masters caught Ven before he fell to his knees, his eyes blank and his face expressionless as his hands fell limply from his chest to land in his lap.

Sora also fell to his knees and Riku put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Why...Sora?" he asked as he watched Sora groan in pain while he waited for his heart to settle.

"I had to, Riku. I couldn't just..."

"I know," Riku sighed and fell to his knees to wrap his arms around Sora. Both of them removed their helmets and Riku pressed their foreheads together. "I just wish..."

"I know...I'm sorry. I didn't know I was going to--"

"Yeah, I figured as much," Riku snorted, the two of them exchanging tired smiles. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. What about you?" Sora asked.

"You're still with me, so I'm good."

Just then, Sora was roughly yanked away from Riku and held up by the front of his armor by Terra who had ripped off his own helmet to glower at Sora furiously while Aqua continued to try and get Ven to respond to ANYTHING. "What did you do!?" the tall brunette demanded as he shook Sora so hard his armor threatened to rattle off.

"Put him down!" Riku shouted.

Sora clutched at Terra's hands and pried them off with a strength that even surprised _him_ , staring deep into Terra's mournful eyes until the man sighed and lowered him carefully. "I'm sorry," he apologized as he continued to look into Sora's eyes, eyes bright and blue like Ven's.

Just then, a portal of darkness opened up. The four went into a defensive stance just as Vanitas emerged from it, dressed in black jeans and a blood red hoody, looking none too surprised when Aqua and Terra immediately raised their keyblades at him. He glanced to Sora and then to Ventus, who was still kneeling motionless on the ground. Without even acknowledging the other three, he walked towards his other half.

"Stay away from him!" Aqua hissed as she attempted to lunge for the teen but Riku quickly held her back by her elbow to keep her from jumping the raven-haired boy who quietly kneeled before Ventus to be level with him.

"Hey...Ven."

The four keyblade masters watched in silence as Vanitas talked to Ventus, Terra and Aqua relaxing slightly as they heard Vanitas use a gentle tone of voice they've never heard uttered from the teen before.

"I know you're in there. Don't sleep too long this time. You shouldn't keep your friends waiting...I'll...I'll be waiting, too," he murmured softly and tentatively reached his fingers out to just barely rest them in Ventus's hand. The blonde's fingers twitched and closed so that they were barely grasping his dark half's fingertips and the tiniest semblance of a smile pulled at the corners of his lips, earning a sigh of relief from the other four and a sob from Aqua. Vanitas also let out a sigh of relief, but for a different reason as he felt a weight he hadn't realized he had been carrying leave his body. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he knew something in him had changed and for the first time, he willingly reached out to Ven's heart and felt the void there, a void that HE used to occupy. But that would mean..."Wait...no! YOU IDIOT!"

His sudden outburst startled the four keyblade masters as Vanitas quickly turned and charged for Sora, shoving Terra aside effortlessly so he could grip Sora's shoulders. "What have you done, you moron!?"

Sora just stared at him, his expression blank as Vanitas glowered at him and watched as his eyes faded from bright yellow to a warm, reddish hue...the color of rosewood. "I just took back what was mine," he answered.

"Yeah, I can see that! And now Darkness lives in your heart! Do yo have any idea of what it can do if it takes control of YOU?" Vanitas spat.

"It won't!" Sora assured him. "So long as it stays imprisoned and Riku has the key, Darkness can never control my heart. I promise."

Vanitas growled and reached up to grip at Sora's hair, holding his head in place as he stared deep into Sora's eyes, reading him for any sign of weakness. But Sora stared back with silent resolve. Finally, the raven-haired teen sighed and his grip loosened but he didn't remove it. "You really are...such an idiot."

Sora smiled and closed what little distance their was between them to pull Vanitas into a hug. "Thank you...Vani."

The teen stiffened but didn't pull away until he felt like this awkward hug went on for way too long...about two seconds. He gave Riku a smirk as he sized him up which Riku could only interpret as a vote of confidence before the teen finally looked at Aqua and Terra who had by now lifted Ven off the ground and held him between themselves. "He's going to be fine," he assured them.

"We know," Aqua nodded. "We're going to take care of him until he's himself again."

"Why are you even here?" Terra asked. "Why did you come?"

The question looked like it stung Vanitas who stuffed his hands inside the front of his hoody and turned his eyes away before he answered. "I've been living with these other people for a while. They've taught me things. One of them told me that one way to heal a heart is through forgiveness." He looked up at Terra and Aqua with a slightly hopeful look.

The two masters looked at each other before looking back at Vanitas in surprise. Was he asking...?

"Of course," Vanitas quickly added, "It's not a requirement. Sometimes things can't and shouldn't be forgiven. But it can help, so I'm told. So I thought...maybe forgiving Ventus would be a small step in the right direction."

Sora snorted into his hand while Riku smiled helplessly. Terra's jaw dropped but he quickly closed it. Aqua merely sighed. "I think...Ven would like it if you visited every now and then."

Vanitas offered a small smile in thanks at the olive branch being offered, "Sure." He then looked at Ventus. "You hear that, Ven? You need to hurry and snap out of it. I've already decided you owe me ice cream."

A small laugh escaped Aqua and she felt Ventus stir in her grip. Maybe these two were more alike than she originally thought...and if this boy really came from Ven, maybe he's not all bad. She felt hopeful.

"We should get Ven home," Terra suggested.

"We should all go home," Riku added. "We'll call Master Yen Sid and tell him the news when we get back."

* * *

That night, Sora and Riku slept at the treehouse after they tended to their injuries which were thankfully minimal. Riku kept giving Sora worried looks as he watched him for any signs of change but Sora kept smiling to reassure him. "It's okay. I'm still me."

"So...it really worked? It's sealed away?"

"Yeah," Sora smiled. "We really did it."

When it was time for bed, the two were too exhausted for their usual pillow talk, opting to just cuddle close as they fell asleep. But as Sora drifted off, he opted to dive into his own heart rather than the realm of dreams.

He found himself on the play island that served as a representation of his heart. As he looked around, he imagined how it must've looked at one point with Ventus, Roxas, and Xion here. Now there was nobody, not that he could see, anyway. But there was SOMETHING new occupying a space here and he knew just where it might be, too. He crossed the beach and made his way toward the secret place hidden behind a curtain of vines. Childhood chalk drawings decorated the stone walls and just like on the real island, a large wooden door stood at the end of the cave, a door with no handle that stood out amongst the mossy walls. A door to darkness.

He approached the door and rested his hand against the cold wood. He could sense his heart's new prisoner on the other side.

_Release us._

"No. This is your home now."

_If you keep us here, we will inflict upon you nightmares beyond your wildest imagination. You'll be driven mad._

Sora gave a sassy smirk and sat on the ground next to the door. "Well lucky me my partner is the best dream eater in the business. So try all you want. I'm not worried."

_You can't keep us here forever._

Darkness spoke without any urgency, almost without any emotion...if not slightly annoyed. Sora shrugged as he folded his arms behind his head. "Don't plan to. One day, when it's my time, I'll fade away and probably take you with me."

_Your heart may be our prison, but were are not a part of your heart. When you fade, so do the bars that keep us here._

"Hm, you're probably right," Sora conceded thoughtfully. "But maybe we'll figure something out by then."

_You intend to bargain?_

The brunette sighed. "I know light and darkness need to be in balance, and I'm sure that involves you, too. Whatever it takes, I have my whole life to figure it out."

_What's to keep us from breaking free and taking over your heart one day and then taking your power for our use?_

"My heart is locked tight. You would need to have the key. And trust me, you'll never get it," the teen proclaimed confidently.

_Your lifetime is merely a blink of an eye for us. We merely have to wait. Of course...You could always use the power of Kingdom Hearts to live forever._

Sora tilted his head at the suggestion, not quite getting the angle that Darkness was getting at but he humored it. "Eh, forever is a long time...plus it'd really suck to be without Riku...and outliving my family and friends? It'd be pretty lonely."

_You could have them live forever, as well._

Sora turned his head toward the door with a raised eyebrow. "Now you're suggesting I play god?"

_We're just talking._

"Uh-huh, sure." He turned back around and rested his back against the door as he pondered. "Well for both our sakes, let's just keep it civil between us, okay? Look, I don't believe all things born from darkness are bad. I've met enough friendly heartless to know that much. So maybe there will come a day where we could work something out...if nothing happens to me, at least."

_What do you mean?_

"Well if something were to happen, like say, my heart got stolen by a heartless or if I got killed unexpectedly, you'd be affected as well."

_Is that a threat?_

"I'm just saying~, it'd be in your best interest if none of your cohorts came after me," he pointed out slyly.

_Perhaps..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note, in English, Sora's half of the combined keyblade may be called Nightmare's End, but the Japanese translation is literally Nightmare Break so I used that translation for this purpose.


	93. Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a couple of months later and the boys have a little lunch date, but little do they know they're being observed by a nosey romantic and an unwilling accomplice.

Summer came and went way too quickly. Sora, Riku, and Kairi lent their hands to exploring new worlds and dealing with other missions at the behest of King Mickey and Master Yen Sid while Masters Aqua and Terra looked after Ventus. Having Sora's heart piece taken from him was hard but not nearly as traumatizing as being split in two as Master Xehanort had done when Vanitas was created, so he was healing much better AND he could still use his keyblade, so he had that going for him. Over the summer he started actually forming short sentences and was beginning to smile again so the Masters were confident he'd be back to his old self soon, but it required a lot of patience and attention on their part so naturally they wanted to focus their efforts on their friend, leaving their usual duties to the Destiny Islands Trio for the time being.

But alas, it was time to go back to school, so Riku was now doing missions solo while Sora and Kairi went back to their books. This meant Riku would be gone for weeks at a time and Sora would have to go to the treehouse alone on occasion to make sure Donut got fed. The kitty was good company, but he wasn't Riku.

"He just doesn't cuddle the same, you know? All scratchy and pokey!" Sora whined during lunch.

"I know. You've been saying this every day for the past week!" Kairi reminded him.

"I miss himmmmmm!" Sora wailed almost loud enough for everybody within a few yards to hear him.

"I knooooooooow!" Kairi yelled over him. "You've been saying THAT every day! Just call him already."

"I tried!" Sora sniffled as he bit into his sandwich. "There isn't any reception where he is."

"So he must be pretty far out there, huh?"

"Well maybe after he's done exploring it, Chip and Dale will be able to get some reception and then he'll be able to use his phone next time. But that doesn't solve anything NOW!" he pouted.

"Just be patient. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"Not soon enough..."

After school, Sora and Kairi left school with Sora dragging his feet. Clubs haven't started yet so there was nothing for either of them to do but go home and do their homework, which Sora was not looking forward to. Hanging out with Kairi was still fun but it just didn't feel the same without Riku. In fact, Kairi was practically shoving him out the door.

"But I don't wanna!" Sora whined.

"Come on, Sora!" Kairi grunted as she shoved him along with both hands in his back. "That book report isn't going to write itself!"

Selphie appeared beside them. "Aw, does Sora have the blues?"

"He'll be fine!" Kairi insisted.

"No, I won't. Everything is misery," the brunette moaned as he continued to be shoved, his heels dragging in the dirt as he practically gave up walking on his own and just let Kairi shove him.

"Now you're just being ridiculous!" the redhead scolded.

"Wow, you've gotten really strong, Kairi!" Selphie giggled.

"I have to be to get this one moving!" she grunted as she kept pushing. "Sora, if you don't start walking, I'm just going to leave you here!"

"Just leave me here to rot. What's even the point?" he sighed mournfully, even as his classmates in the school yard chuckled at his antics.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of a motorcycle rang through the air and Sora straightened up so suddenly that Kairi nearly faceplanted had Selphie not caught her arm! "Riku!?" Sora perked up instantly.

"Riku?" Selphie questioned but Sora was already sprinting to the gate.

Sure enough, Riku came around the corner on his keyblade motorcycle dressed in black jeans and a grey v-neck. He pulled up to a stop in front of the agate and pulled off his helmet to greet Sora with a broad smile on his face. "Hey, beautiful!"

"Hey, handsome!" Sora greeted happily and practically flung himself at the teen who nearly toppled from his bike. "You didn't call!"

"I wanted to surprise you!" Riku reasoned as he steadied himself while keeping a tight grip on Sora at the same time. "Hop on. I'm taking you out to eat. Hey, Kairi!" he waved.

"Hey, Riku!" Kairi waved back while everybody else in the school yard gawked. "He has a book report to do. Don't let him slack off!" she warned.

"Got it!" Riku laughed while Sora scoffed and straddled the bike behind him.

"See ya, Kairi!" Sora waved before Riku revved up the bike again and they sped off towards town.

Kairi could only laugh quietly to herself as she listened to all the chatter of disbelief in the school yard. Riku really does know how to stir everybody up.

"Was that really Riku?"  
"When did he get a bike?"  
"I think I've seen it before."  
"Did you hear what he called Sora?"  
"I wonder where they went?"

"Hmmmmm~" Selphie broke into a wide smile.

"Hm?" Kairi looked next to her. "You okay?"

"I think they're going on a date," Selphie speculated suspiciously.

"Oh no, what gave you that idea?" Kairi asked sarcastically but Selphie didn't seem to pick up on it.

"I think I know just where they're going, too! They must be going to that new café in town!" she continued excitedly.

"There's a new café?"

Selphie suddenly grabbed Kairi's wrist. "We should go, too!" she squealed as she hopped up and down.

"Oh, I guess I could eat--"

"And totally spy on them!"

"Now wait just a second--"

"Come on, Kairi! Aren't you curious? Two boys on a date~ Doesn't it sound so romantic? And naughty?" she grinned.

"What do you mean by naughty!?"

"A secret high school affair~ What could be more romantic and scandalous?" she giggled.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't mind going to a café, but I'm definitely not spying on them."

"Fine, I'll do the spying and you can eat the cake," Selphie giggled and began dragging Kairi along behind her as she walked. "Come on!"

. . .

"And then they made me their chief. Of course, Peter Pan wasn't too happy about that when he showed up ten minutes later. But it was fine. I had to go Paris anyway. And that's where I've been for the past week," Riku explained while they perused the menu at the new café in town. The pair managed to get outdoor seating at a table beneath a shady umbrella in the far corner of the outdoor patio so they could have a little privacy. It was the cafe's opening week, so it was very busy, but already the two could tell they liked the atmosphere as the patio was surrounded by sweet-smelling flowers and had a lovely fountain birdbath in the center where birds were already twittering about and enjoying themselves despite all the chatter going on around them. It also had a cottage-in-the-forest kind of vibe with the white whicker furniture and food served on hand-painted plates and tea served in tea sets that reminded Sora of the tea sets he'd seen in Wonderland, only not as mismatched.

When Riku told Sora he was taking him to a café, he thought it was an odd choice, but then Riku said he heard this place had amazing cake so that piqued his interest to be sure. But two boys their age going to a café such as this one...they were getting a few stares, not that either of them minded in the slightest. They were just so happy to see each other. Sora kept looking up from the menu to catch Riku gazing at him with that sweet stare of his and making him blush. "So um...tell me about Paris."

Selphie and Kairi arrived just in time to get the last table. Of course, being the Mayor's daughter helped, too.

"I can't believe you used my name. Next time, get your own clout," Kairi huffed as they settled into their seats outside.

"Hey, if you're not going to use it, at least let me!" Selphie giggled as she peered over her menu to look for their targets. "Ooh! There they are~" she whispered.

Kairi glanced over in the direction Selphie's eyes were focused on and sure enough, there were the boys. It looks like they were halfway finished with what they were eating which appeared to be a tray of finger sandwiches. "Is Sora actually drinking tea? He hates the stuff!" Kairi snickered.

"They are soooo cute!" Selphie swooned. "Look at the way Riku looks at him. I wish somebody would look at me that way."

"I missed you," Riku said quietly as he smiled at Sora. The two were seated so close now that they were nearly touching noses, foreheads barely inches away from each other.

Sora sighed happily as his fingers interlaced with Riku's under the table. Riku sighed too and Sora's eyelids fluttered as he felt the other's warm breath brush against his face. "I missed you, too. So much."

"I could tell. As soon as I got within range my phone was blew up with messages," the elder teen snickered softly.

Sora's cheeks burned pink and he could feel the heat rising in Riku's face, too. The two of them shook with a quiet giggle as if they just shared a funny secret. "When do you have to leave again?"

"Not for a while," Riku smiled. "You can have me all to yourself."

"Oh I intend to," Sora smirked.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Selphie asked as she bit into her sandwich.

"Probably about where Riku's been," Kairi sighed knowingly as she sipped her tea. As she spoke, a server exited the main cafe with a large slice of strawberry cake and walked over to set it in front of Sora and Riku and Selphie's face just lit up with excitement.

"Ooooh! That looks good! I want some! Kairi, will you share a slice with me, too?"

Kairi eyed the slice as well. It did look really good. "Sure. But maybe we should each get our own slice."

"But it looks so rich!"

Kairi snickered. "Don't lie, I know you can eat a slice all by yourself and you won't leave me any."

Selphie giggled. "You know me too well." She glanced back over at the boys and her eyes grew as wide as saucers! "Look look!" she whispered. "Riku's actually feeding him!" she practically squealed.

"Should've known you'd pick strawberry cake," Sora pouted cutely as Riku fed him a bite. "I can feed myself, you know."

"Yeah, but then you wouldn't save me any," Riku grinned.

"Then buy your own slice," Sora reasoned simply.

"I can't eat a whole slice," Riku frowned as he took a bite for himself.

"Riding back make you queasy again?" Sora asked sympathetically.

"The heartless were relentless. I'm glad I took the gummi ship, but it was still a really bumpy ride."

"I'm sorry. At least you don't have to go back for a while. Maybe the mobs will thin out by then."

"Maybe," Riku smiled hopefully as he plucked a cream-covered strawberry off the plate and offered to feed it to Sora. "Open up~"

"R-Riku..." Sora blushed. "Really?"

"Really~" the silverette grinned mischievously. "Don't tell me you're full already~?" he teased.

"There's no way I can fit that whole thing in my mouth," Sora hissed.

"Then take little bites," he reasoned. "Go on~"

Selphie watched the boys with growing fascination as Riku offered the strawberry to Sora but then her face grew as red as a tomato as she watched Sora lick all the cream off daintily before Riku pressed the tip of the juicy red fruit to his lips. "EEP!" she squeaked before clamping her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming.

Kairi watched her face change colors before glancing over at the boys and rolling her eyes. "Seriously?" she said mostly to herself. Those two were getting really bold.

"S-s-s-s-s-strawberry!" Selphie stuttered as she watched.

"Yes, I can see that," Kairi said boredly. "It's rude to stare, you know."

"But they're doing _that_ in public!"

"They're eating, Selphie," she reminded her pointedly.

"That is NOT eating. I don't what it is, but it's definitely not eating," Selphie hissed.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's eating. Maybe eating flirtatiously, but it's still eating."

"Fine, whatever you want to call it. It's so...so..."

"Silly?"

"Erotic!"

"SELPHIE!"

"SHHHH! They're hear you!" she hissed as she quickly covered Kairi's mouth with her hand. "Omigosh, is he actually licking the cream off his face!?!?!"

Kairi pried her hand away so she could breathe. "I'm asking for the check."

"But I wanna watch!" Selphie whined.

Sora and Riku appeared to have finished their cake and left their munny on the table and got up to leave. The two girls ducked so they wouldn't be seen as they walked by.

"Want some more strawberries when we get home?" Riku asked slyly.

"Hm, I think I'm more in the mood for some pretzel dip~" Sora winked back at him as they walked past.

Once they were out of sight, the two girls straightened up again.

"Pretzel dip?" Selphie tilted her head.

"I don't think I want to know," Kairi sighed. "Check, please!"


	94. Long Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku discover phone sex.

It started out innocently enough.

Riku's long trips were becoming more and more frequent. Though Sora tried to keep himself busy with after school activities such as the theater club, he LONGED for Riku whenever he was away. It never got easier to say good-bye and each time he felt himself growing more and more impatient. Kairi was good company, of course, but during lunch, Selphie and Tidus started joining them on occasion and he got a little tired of their knowing stares so every once in a while he snuck away to be alone. On these occasions, he'd hide somewhere with his gummi phone and text Riku.

Sora: I miss you. >:  
Riku: I know. I miss you too. <3  
Sora: No, like I REALLY miss you.  
Riku: Oh yeah? How much?

 _How much?_ Sora blinked at the question. Is that even something that can be measured? Is there a less cheesy way to say "I miss you so much that I don't feel complete without you?", he wondered? Finally he just settled on something a little simpler.

Sora: I want to kiss you.

As soon as he sent it, he dropped his phone in his lap and covered his face with his hands bashfully as he felt his cheeks glow red. _Maybe that was too much!_ When he felt the phone vibrate in his lap with Riku's reply, he almost didn't want to look, but he managed to peek between his fingers to read.

Riku: And what else? :)

 _What else?_ Sora swallowed hard and looked around needlessly to make sure nobody was around before his thumbs flew over the screen.

Sora: And hug you really tight.  
Riku: And?

Sora blinked in confusion as he warily eyed the screen. What was Riku getting at? Did he want to know what Sora REALLY wanted to do? He was getting a little tired of being put on the spot and he felt like Riku was egging him on at this point. So he dared to turn up the heat a couple of notches.

Sora: I want you to touch me all over. Like you did last time. ;)

 _Let's see Riku be the one to get flustered this time!_ Sora grinned to himself as he waited for a reply, imagining Riku's jaw dropping wherever he is, maybe even slamming the brakes on the gummi ship if he's driving. But before he could gloat, his phone vibrated again.

Riku: You like it when I touch you *there*, don't you? ;)

Sora choked on the air he was breathing and hurried to loosen his tie as he felt his temperature rise at least twenty degrees. Riku didn't have to be specific. He KNEW what he was talking about. This was backfiring big time! MAYDAY MAYDAY!

Their texts grew even more suggestive, with Riku telling him everything he wanted to do to Sora once he got back and Sora doing the same in kind. By the time the warning bell rang for the end of lunch, Sora was a WRECK. His legs felt heavy and his face felt hot. He quickly texted Riku a "see ya" before hurrying to the restroom to splash some cold water on his face and hoped he didn't look too obvious. Who knew a bunch of words on a screen could get him so worked up!?

But that wouldn't be the last time, either.

Sora found he liked having these naughty little text conversations with Riku. It was thrilling and freeing, in a way. It just got easier and easier to type words that he would never say out loud in the bedroom unless things got REALLY heated. Dirty talk he and Riku almost never indulged in came almost too easily in text form. If his imagination hadn't run wild before, it certainly was now, and Riku was leading director!

It was especially thrilling texting during lunch at the risk of being caught. There had been a few times where he had to call it quits early only to pick it up again when he got home, if he didn't have homework that is. But even when he was doing homework with Kairi he'd sneak a text under the table, not that she was fooled.

"You writing a novel over there?" she'd ask pointedly.

"No, just telling Riku I miss him," he insisted as he tried to finish typing as fast as his thumbs would possibly allow while trying to fight the blush in his face.

"Uh-huuuuuh...where's he at now?"

"UH!" Sora straightened up. "I dunno, I didn't ask him yet."

The redhead sighed. "You two are hopeless." She then snatched his phone and stuffed it under the couch!

"HEY!" the brunette protested as he reached to grab it back.

"Not until you finish your homework! You've been slacking off! Come on, now!" she scolded.

"Fiiiiiine," he sighed.

He knew she was right. But that didn't stop him from texting Riku well into the night until he was in desperate need of a cold shower. After several nights of this, the two decided between themselves to maybe save this sort of thing for the nights that Sora spent at the treehouse when he was looking after Donut and watering the plants, which was about every other day. Like he was tonight.

Tonight, though, he was lucky enough to catch Riku on a video call and sat up in bed with Donut curled into his side as he talked to Riku, unable to keep the smile off his face as he caught up with the older teen.

"So, does Roxas miss me?" the silverette asked.

Donut stretched and pawed at the phone in Sora's hand. "Mrow~"

"I'll take that as a yes~," Riku cooed. "Sorry, buddy. But I won't be home for another week."

"Another week!?" Sora practically shouted, spooking the cat into hopping off the bed. "But you've been gone for two weeks already!"

"I'm sorry, Sora," the elder teen apologized sadly. "But these missions don't go as quickly when I'm working by myself."

"I'm sorry, too..." Sora also apologized. He was sure Riku was feeling lonely, too, if not even more so. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Riku smiled.

"I just miss you so much," Sora pouted while hugging a pillow to his chest.

The silverette broke into a wider smile. "I know. That's why I left you a present under the bed."

"A present?? Really?" Sora lit up. "Aw you didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did. You'll see why in a minute. Go ahead and grab it," he instructed.

The excited brunette set the phone down and tossed the pillow to the side before leaning far over the edge of the bed, his lower body dangling upside down as he looked for anything that might resemble a present under the bed. It truly was a perfect hiding spot since Sora never cleans under these little places. That was usually all Riku. There wasn't much under there, save for a couple of boxes filled with things they were still trying to find a home for, but amongst them was a white box the size of a shoebox that he definitely didn't recognize. Eagerly he reached out and grabbed it and hoisted himself back on the bed properly, taking a moment to wait for his head rush to subside before he gave the box a little experimental shake. Its contents rattled and whatever was inside felt a little weighty, but not too heavy. He picked up the phone again to look at Riku who was waiting patiently and pointed the camera at the box. "This it?"

"That's it. Go ahead and open it."

Sora quickly set his phone on the night stand and propped it up on its built-in stand so that Riku could see him properly while he opened it. He slid the lid off the box and eagerly looked inside to see...well...he wasn't sure what he was looking at, exactly. There was a long smaller box inside and two bottles as well as three other objects he couldn't identify right off the bat. He blinked curiously and lifted up each item one by one, Riku watching silently as he tried to piece everything together. The first item was a squishy white cylinder about six inches long, give or take, that felt like it was made of silicone and it had a hole in the center that didn't go all the way through from what he could see. It felt very floppy in his hand and though he was tempted to put a finger inside the hole, he wanted to inspect the other items, too. The next item looked like a pink wand of some sort but the handle had an on/off switch and a slider and the wand was like a string of rubber beads that were larger at the base and got progressively smaller at the end. The next item was smooth, black, and curved. It too was about six inches long, firm and weighty, and had a very distinct shape that made Sora's eyebrows raise. "Wait a minute..." He could hear Riku trying to hold back his snickering as he watched him try to figure it out. Very quickly he looked at the two bottles. One was lube. He knew that much, but this one specifically says "Toy Safe" on it and the other was a spray bottle that said "Toy Cleanser". His face quickly turned bright red and he dropped the bottle in shock. "RIKU!? WHERE DID YOU GET--WHAT EVEN ARE THESE!?"

"If you don't know, why are you blushing?" Riku teased.

"Because I have a feeling I know what they're meant for but I don't know how they work! Dare I even open the last one?" Sora blushed furiously.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," the silverette told him gently, in case this was already too much of an overload for Sora.

The brunette bit his bottom lip before retracting his hand from the box. "Maybe tell me what these are first? I'm curious." He had to admit, now that the initial shock was out of the way, he was getting pretty excited. This was definitely new territory for both of them...or at least it was for him.

Riku brightened, clearly happy that he hadn't scared Sora, or at least not yet. One by one, he explained the items. The pink thing was a vibrating anal bead wand, the black thing was a type of anal dildo, and the tube thing...

"Put your fingers in the hole and try it out," Riku instructed.

Sora blinked but did as he was instructed. It felt oddly fleshy? There was definitely some sort of texture going on in there, he could feel ridges and bumps inside. As he wiggled two fingers inside, it dawned on him what this was for. "Wait, I put my--in this??" he blushed.

"That's the idea," Riku laughed.

Sora made a face. "That sounds kinda messy. How do you even clean inside there?"

"Oh, you can turn it inside out."

"WHAT!?" Sora gasped and of course he tried it. It was way stretchier than he could have imagined and of course, it looked really weird with its inside contents now on the outside. Admittedly, though, despite how alarming it looked, he did wonder what it would feel like in use. Then again...cleaning...he looked at the bottle of spray cleaner. "Can I use a condom with these things?" he asked.

"I don't think I would recommend it for the sleeve. The bead wand...maybe? Might be hard to keep it on. But the dildos definitely," Riku answered, figuring Sora would try to find a way to take the easy way out of cleaning.

"Wait, dildos? As in more than one?" Sora looked back in the box. He had almost forgotten about the other box he hadn't opened. Curiosity piqued, he lifted it out and began opening it. "You know, I don't know what I was imagining, really, but when I think of sex toys, these sorts of things certainly would not have come to mind."

Riku gave an amused smile as he watched him unwrap the box. "You expected them to be more dick-shaped?"

"Yeah, something like that. Like realistic or something. But so far I think you made some good choices they don't look scary and--WHOA HEY NOW!" Sora's jaw dropped as he finally looked down at the contents of the box and lifted it up. "Yeah, something like this is what I imagined," he laughed, earning a laugh from Riku as well. It was a realistic dildo with veins and everything, also made of silicone and at the bottom he could see a button that indicated this thing vibrated too. It was the heaviest toy out of all of them and it even had a half-set of balls to give it a wider base. The only thing not realistic about it was the color which was a translucent brightish blue color that reminded him of popsicles or hard candy which made it almost look appetizing, the thought making him blush even redder. Riku was so quiet that Sora got lost in his own fascination for a moment as he ran his fingers over the details. It was so realistic it even had a slight curve to it. He idly wondered if this was modeled after an actual cock. He tilted his mouth at the idea, not sure how he felt about the idea of using somebody else's bits to pleasure himself with that didn't belong to Riku, toy or not. But then again, this DID look similar to Riku's...VERY similar, in fact. He narrowed his eyes at it and then looked suspiciously at the phone to see Riku's face was now getting redder. "Rikuuuuuuuuuu..."

"Yes?"

"This looks an awful lot like yours."

"You think so?"

"Mm-hmm," Sora nodded before closing his eyes and gripping the tip. He slowly slid his fist down to see how it felt in his hand. "Yup, it's almost identical!" he said confidently.

"You're right. It's mine," Riku laughed sheepishly, his face bright red as he was amazed that Sora recognized it almost immediately.

"Did you make this!? How?" Sora asked.

"Well, first of all, I found these at a shop in San Fransokyo. I took a weird turn when I was fighting some heartless at night and ended up in some shopping district. I was curious and took a look around and then I found this kit where you can make your own using a mold. I didn't even think it would really work but you said you missed me and...uh...and..." he grew redder as he struggled to finish.

"And what?" Sora urged gently.

Riku's face turned in a pout. "Well, I didn't want to get you something that I thought would give you more enjoyment than I could," he answered honestly.

Sora giggled. Of course Riku would feel the need to be competitive. "Aww, Riku~ That would never happen," he made a kiss at the phone and Riku returned it while smiling sheepishly. "Hope you bought an extra kit cuz now I want to make you one, too!" the brunette laughed.

"Heh. I did, actually. I worried I was going to mess up the first one," he explained quickly.

"This is so sweet of you, Riku...I think. But why did you pick those other two?"

"Well that's the thing, using toys on yourself can be a little more difficult than if it were actually me there. So I got you things that'd be easier for you to use by yourself."

"Hm..." Sora quirked an eyebrow. Something wasn't adding up here. Why would Riku have waited so long to give him something like this? "I wish you were here to enjoy them with me."

Riku chuckled. "Well, I might not be there next to you, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy them together."

"Huh?"

Riku held up an identical "sleeve" to the one Sora has in his lap and waved it in front of the camera. "I've enjoyed our little text conversations."

Sora's face suddenly felt really hot. "Y-yeah? Me too."

"So I was thinking maybe we'd try something. I mean if you don't want to, that's completely fine. It's just an idea," Riku began to stammer.

"You mean...like...us doing...on the phone? While talking?" Sora also stammered. The words wouldn't come out but he could tell they were on the same wavelength, even if they had a hard time saying the words out loud.

"Yeah," Riku smiled, relieved that Sora was catching on. "If you want?"

"I-I do," Sora gulped. "But..." he looked down at the toys. "Maybe just the sleeve for tonight?"

"Sounds good to me," the silverette agreed. "So...how about we get comfortable?" he suggested.

The brunette nodded, his whole body vibrating as he hurried to do just that. He piled everything back in the original box, save for the lube and the sleeve and set the box on the floor before fluffing the pillows and turning off the lights, but left the bedside lamp on so Riku could still see him. "Uh...Soooo...What now?"

He could see Riku laughing quietly into his hand, no doubt amused by his scrambling. "Maybe you can get undressed for me?" he suggested.

"Oh...right," Sora blushed and began peeling off his night shirt. He's undressed in front of Riku countless times by now, but there was something different about doing it on camera, something that made him suddenly feel shy as he slowly slid his pajama bottoms and boxers down. "Y-you're getting undressed too, right?"

"Huh? Oh, of course."

Sora snickered as he sat back down and watched Riku. The silverette was in the lower cabin of the gummi ship on one of the bunk beds, he could tell that much. He wondered if Riku was feeling shy too if he chose the empty vacuum of space to have this conversation rather than any other alternate lodgings he could've picked from. He propped his head up on his elbow as he watched Riku strip. How he missed having those strong arms wrapped around him and omigosh those abs...and his hips...and...OOH he caught a glimpse of something else before Riku sat back down. "Heartless keeping you in shape, I see~" Sora complimented with a little wolf whistle.

The bridge of Riku's nose reddened as he smiled appreciatively. "Yeah, but somehow I think blitzball practice was more strenuous."

"I think I would agree with you on that one," Sora giggled.

The two shared an awkward chuckle, each holding their phones and smiling at each other, neither really knowing what to do next. Riku broke the silence first. "So uh..."

"Are we starting?" Sora asked shyly.

"Yeah, I guess," Riku smiled. "Comfortable?"

"Yeah," Sora settled back into the pillows. "You?"

"Mm-hmm....gosh I wish I were with you right now," Riku expressed fondly.

"What would you do if you were here?" the brunette asked quietly.

"Probably kiss you for starters," the silverette grinned.

"I wish you could," Sora said longingly.

"Hm...maybe...try sucking on your fingers. Pretend you're kissing me," he suggested quietly.

"Riku...I..."

"What is it?" the elder teen asked gently.

"I feel weird doing this with the camera on," Sora admitted.

"Would you like to do it with just our voices for now?" he offered.

"Yeah, I think I would. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Riku smiled softly. "We can always turn it back on later if you change your mind. You don't have to push yourself."

"Right," Sora nodded happily and both disconnected their cameras. Sora then turned off the light and held the phone close to his ear. "You still there?"

"Yeah. Feel better?"

"Yeah," Sora breathed. Somehow Riku's voice felt softer this way; more intimate. Just having his voice so close to his ear when he spoke like this made his spine tingle in the best possible way.

"This is probably better for now," Riku admitted. "I hadn't figured out how I was going to hold the phone up anyway."

Sora giggled. "Yeah, that probably would've been tricky. We'll figure it out for next time."

"Yeah. But for now..."

"Oh, right!" 

Riku listened intently as he waited for Sora to carry out his suggestion. He had parked the gummi ship just outside of a world that was still being born or waking up or something. He had been instructed to watch the little star develop so he had been floating in space for the past couple of days observing. Between his missions and all their naughty little text messages, he's had plenty of time to fantasize about ways to be intimate with Sora when he couldn't be home and so far it seems to be working out better than he had hoped, at least for the time being. After all, Sora hasn't flat out refused anything yet and seemed eager to try. Even now just listening to Sora softly sucking on his own fingers was much more than he expected. Gods, it sounded so erotic! He could hear Sora sighing and moaning as he languidly sucked on his fingers. He must've had the phone right next to his face because Riku could hear EVERYTHING. Whether Sora was being a little extra vocal for his benefit or not, he wasn't sure, but he was certainly not complaining.

"R-Riku?"

The silverette swallowed hard before responding. "Yes?"

"Talk to me more...please?"

The younger teen's request sounded so soft and needy that it sent all the blood rushing down to Riku's lower regions. It made sense, though. This was sort of Riku's idea so he should be the one to take the reins. Come to think of it, this really was new territory for both of them. They've done a lot together, but watching or hearing each other masturbate was definitely not one of them. The small realization made his heart skip a beat and his skin feel hot. He gave a hard swallow before he picked up where he left off. "Do you want to know what I'd do next?"

"What?"

"Probably play with your cute little nipples. Suck on them 'til they got nice and hard and even after that I'd probably continue until you begged me to stop." He couldn't help grinning as he heard what sounded like a squeak from Sora that was followed up by another quiet sigh. "Are you touching them now?" he asked.

"Yes..."

"Good." Further encouraged, he kept going, describing everything he wanted to do to Sora while the teen on the other end of the line touched himself accordingly. He got so hard listening to Sora's soft panting and desperate little moans. His own heart was beginning to race and he wondered if Sora could hear the pace of his breathing picking up too. As he talked to him, his own free hand wandered on its own accord, just rubbing and squeezing whatever felt good, even tickling himself a little with the barest tips of his fingers as he tried imitating Sora's shy touches on his inner wrists and abdomen, and even dragging his fingers through his scalp where Sora liked to bury his fingers, all the while painting a scene for Sora as best as he could with his words alone which became easier to say the more they got into it.

Sora had long since given up trying to hold the phone in his hand and had let it lay beside his head on the pillow, Riku's voice raspy in his ear as he touched himself everywhere but where he was now aching the most. His words were so silky and his voice so sexy, Sora was almost certain he could climax on Riku's dirty talk alone if he gave it enough time. But as usual he felt himself getting impatient, especially as he listened to Riku's subtle groans and sighs that told him the older teen was probably getting off just as much as he was. The longer it went on, the more he could tell Riku was getting comfortable in how he spoke and the more into it Riku got, the easier it was for Sora to pretend Riku's hands were on him instead of his own. With every sharp intake of breath from Riku, he felt a jolt in his spine. With every groan his toes curled. And oh how he wanted to touch himself further down but Riku hadn't gotten there yet, so he didn't dare, but it was so hard to hold back! He had one hand resting on his hip and his other hand slowly tracing underneath his navel, his head tilting back against the pillow as he strained with the effort of not moving any further. Finally, he couldn't stand the anticipation any longer. "Riku...please..." he pleaded.

"Are you hard for me, baby?"

"Nnngh! Yes! So hard~" Sora moaned. "I want you to touch me so much~" he mewled.

"Mmm~ Wanna suck on you so bad..."

Sora nearly lost it right there and let out a needy whine as he grabbed the lube he had at his side, already warmed by his body heat, and hurried to apply it to himself. "I want your mouth so badly, Riku!" he whispered breathily as his hips quaked, desperate to thrust into his hands but he forced himself to wait so he could use the "toy" that Riku sent him. Riku moaned in kind in his ear and he could hear him shifting around as well. "Rikuuuu..." he moaned the other's name again, knowing it would rile him up.

"Nnnnn~ are you using it?"

Sora quickly slid the sleeve over his engorged length and let out a cry as he slid inside. It was so good but so weird too! He couldn't help thinking if he could possibly warm it next time with something besides his own body heat. Maybe hot water? But it was too late to think of that now as he pumped the textured tube up and down his length. "Y-yes," he moaned into the receiver.

"Does it feel good?"

"Uh-huuuuuuh," Sora mewled.

"Go slow."

The brunette whimpered but did as he was told, his free hand gripping the sheets tightly as he forced himself to slow down and hold back. "Riku...Riku..." He moaned the other's name as he dragged the lubricated tube up and down with his fist, experimenting with how tightly he held it to feel different sensations as he raised it up and down. With every stroke his body shuddered hard as he did his best to hold back, but he was so close and feeling so much!

"Do you want my cock in you, baby?"

Sora's eyes popped open in surprise and he let out a cry at the question. "Yesssss~!" he cried out, hand trembling around the squishy thing in his hand. He actually stilled to keep himself from losing it while his back nearly arched off the bed. He panted hard as he tried to regain control and tried to focus on something else, only to realize he didn't hear anything nearly as intense on Riku's end.

"Yes what?"

Riku hadn't started yet...he was waiting for Sora. The younger teen grabbed the phone with his free hand and held it close to give Riku a taste of his own medicine. "Yes, baby. I want your cock deep inside of me. Make me scream, please~" He mewled for extra good measure and listened with satisfaction as he heard Riku begin to softly pant and listened to the tell-tale sounds of soft fapping in the background. Sora began moving his hand, too, setting the phone down next to his ear again as he began pumping to match his pacing with Riku's quiet grunts.

Together the two grew more and more vocal as they increased their pace, escalating into louder moans and cries until finally they were calling out each other's names as they met their climaxes together. Sora was arching so high off the bed and shoving his head so far back that the phone slipped on the pillow and hit him in the face as he finished with a mixture of a cry and a yelp. Riku had his feet braced against the top bunk to keep himself grounded on the small bunk as he bucked into his own hand, his cries of pleasure not nearly as loud as Sora's but he was left just as breathless.

Finally, both sides were quiet, save for their soft panting as they tried to catch their breaths.

"Sora..."

"Riku..."

Both chuckled, now feeling a little shy and a bit flustered.

"Riku...can I see you now?"

"Yeah...can I see you?"

"Yeah."

Together they turned their cameras back on and Sora turned the bedside lamp back on. Neither said anything at first, both content to just look at each other's flushed faces as they recovered.

"Hey, beautiful," Riku smiled fondly. How he wished he were there to brush those sweaty bangs off of Sora's flushed face and caress those warm cheeks...and kiss those parted lips.

"Hey, handsome," Sora greeted back as he took in Riku's post-coital glowy face. Sora could stare forever at that smile of his and never get tired of it...that special smile he knew was only meant for him...that smile that made his insides melt every time he saw it. He could see Riku's sculpted chest heaving just barely in frame and longed to be there, to lie on top of his chest and listen to his rapid heart beat while they cuddled in their afterglow. The thought made him sigh longingly.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. So much."

"Did you have fun?" the silverette asked shyly.

"I did," Sora giggled. "It's no fair, though. Your voice is so hot over the phone when you talk like that."

Riku laughed. "Well yours is pretty sexy, too. Especially when you moan the way you did."

"You liked that, huh?" Sora blushed even as he tried to give a cheeky grin.

"I did," the elder teen smirked. "Makes me really want to watch you play with yourself in person."

Sora swallowed back the squeak the threatened to escape him as he straightened up and hugged a pillow to himself. "Y-yeah, well...just you wait. Next time I'll have you begging for ME."

"I'll look forward to it," Riku chuckled.

"Hehe," Sora giggled before smiling fondly at him, his thumb brushing over the phone screen as he pretended to touch Riku's face. "Are you tired?"

Riku sighed before smiling back and speaking a little more softly, "Yeah. I need to sleep soon. And so should you. You still have school tomorrow."

"I know..." Sora pouted.

"Tell you what, let's both get cleaned up and I'll stay on the line until you fall asleep," Riku compromised.

"Okay," the brunette happily agreed.

They both set their phones down and took care of business. Sora even took the time to clean his new toy before putting it back in the box with the others and stashing it away before he crawled back under the covers. Once he was comfortable, Donut suddenly hopped into the bed, landing right on his stomach before curling into his side! "OOF!" Sora grunted.

Riku had just gotten back. "Are you okay?" he asked as he got back into his bunk and pulled his covers over himself.

"Yeah, Donut used me as a landing mat," Sora explained as he reached up to turn off the light.

"Heh heh," Riku chuckled as he also turned his lights off and settled against the pillows, Sora's face now only being lit by the light of his screen.

Sora cradled his phone in both hands on his chest as he watched Riku settle in with a hand behind his head. "So what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Depends on whether or not this world wakes up or not. I told Master Yen Sid I'm giving it one more week before I just give up and come home. He said he understood. What about you?"

"I got play practice after school. We're performing a musical," Sora explained as he struggled to hold back a yawn.

"Oh yeah? What's it about?" Riku asked sleepily.

"It's about a guy who loves to dance but he and his mom move to a new town where dancing isn't allowed. So he and his friends dance in secret while he falls in love and..." he lets out a long yawn this time. "And...tries to change everybody's minds about the rules."

"Sounds interesting. What role did you get?" Riku's eyelids began to feel heavy but he forced them to stay open as he watched Sora begin to drift off. He looks so cute when he's struggling to stay awake.

"I got the lead..." Sora drawled sleepily as his eyes began to close. "I have to sing AND dance...gonna be...hard..."

"You can do it. I know you'll do great. Can't wait to see it."

The brunette barely managed to pry one eye open to look at Riku. "You'll be home to see it...right...?"

"Wouldn't miss it for any world," Riku chuckled.

"Good..." Sora smiled just as his eyes finally closed. "Good night...Riku..."

Riku watched as Sora's breathing became even and deep and listened as the teen even began to softly snore. "Good night, Sora," he whispered with a chuckle before hanging up and setting the phone on the charging stand. With one last yawn, he rolled onto his side and clutched an extra pillow as he too fell asleep.


	95. Footloose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAAAAAAAAAAAAIN~
> 
> Wait, wrong musical.
> 
> Anyway, it's time for a time skip! Riku has just turned 21 and his friends want to help him celebrate, but they have to be careful. After all, Riku's the only one who's legally allowed to drink...in Twilight Town, at least.

The months passed by in a blink of an eye. Sora spent the evenings of his last high school days on the stage, putting his everything into the musical they have chosen to perform. He got the lead role as a guy who had moved to a new town that had outlawed dancing and was on a mission to not only win over the townspeople but get the girl too. He may not have known a lot about being a rebellious teenager, but he did know what it was like to go to a new place and feel restricted, to fall in love and keep it under wraps. So he put his all into his performance and it paid off splendidly! Turns out he CAN sing decently...as long as he has good backup singers to help him out. Every performance was a sold out show and he even had referral offers should he choose to go to a performance arts school. Naturally, he declined, but he had a blast.

After that, graduation came and went. Kairi was already making plans to study political science and even study under Aqua. All Sora could think about was going on missions with Riku again. As the months went by, they learned all their friends were quite busy as well.

Vanitas stayed true to his word and made frequent trips to the Land of Departure to help with Ventus's recovery. Terra and Aqua even let him look after the blonde a few times while they left to complete missions that they have been putting off. Within the year, Ventus made a full recovery and the two even softened up to each other a bit, the two acting like two very different brothers that tolerated each other for the most part but also joined up as partners in crime every now and then. Vanitas has even been given the offer to live in the Land of Departure...or maybe even reunite with Ven. He had considered the offer for a brief moment but politely declined. "I have already found the one that makes me feel complete in Naminé," he said. So instead he became a sort of keyblade-for-hire, staying wherever he pleases and occasionally joining in on missions. He had made his own home somewhere for him and Naminé, but he hasn't told anybody where it is as he's always just wanted to have a place to go that he could call his own, some place that felt safe. Though he'll sometimes run off and do his own thing for days at a time, he always shows up if either Sora or Naminé calls.

Naminé has also kept busy. While Vanitas is away, she's at the Mysterious Tower studying under Master Yen Sid to be a keeper of knowledge. Together along with Jiminy Cricket, they're working together to compile all of the past events and everything they know about the worlds for future generations to come, complete with illustrations, of course. She's even working on a more child-friendly version of their soon-to-be historical text with pictures for young future keyblade wielders. When she's not at the Mysterious Tower, she's spending weekends with Vanitas, usually at their getaway home, but sometimes also visiting their friends.

Xion is currently going to Twilight Town University to put her math passions to good use. She hasn't decided if she wants to be an engineer, teacher, or pursue her doctorate yet. Roxas made an attempt at college so he could be with Xion, the two having become an item right after they graduated high school, but unfortunately he dropped out during his second year to pursue the keyblade cause as well as invest in his own growing music passions. Occasionally he performs in Demyx's band, but mostly he teams up with Vanitas on his missions.

Axel and Isa have become social media sensations and even have their own merchandise. Olette designs for their clothing line. Hayner does their marketing and Pence has made a career out of doing Axel's filming and editing as well as the photography for their merch.

Terra and Aqua have also officially become a couple not long after Ventus was back to his old self and are working on opening up the Land of Departure so that they may take on new keyblade students. Ventus eventually became a master and also wants to help out with making a new school, but first they need students. So for now, he keeps an eye out for those with potential during his missions.

Sora and Riku have become an unstoppable duo that sometimes needed separating, as sometimes the two would just breeze through their missions and spend the rest of the time "exploring" the worlds at a leisurely pace before they come back, which would be okay if it weren't for the fact that there was an extreme backlog of world missions that needed their attention.

To be honest, the two weren't TOO torn up about working separately every now and then because this meant they could think of ways to surprise each other with little gifts, treats, or outings the next time they saw each other. In fact, Riku was planning something big.

He had spent a lot of time gathering different stones and materials and relied on Aqua to make something really special for Sora. He also made another music box commission with Geppetto. Now all there was to do was wait for it to be finished and think of the right setting. Both would take a couple of months to be ready at the very LEAST, so he still had plenty of time to plan the rest. However, just knowing that these special items were now underway gave birth to a constant fluttering in his gut that inhabited his every spare thought. So when his 21st birthday came around, Riku didn't even bother thinking of plans. In fact, he was about to hop on the train to the Mysterious Tower to plan a mission before Sora reminded him of it while they were in Twilight Town.

"You couldn't have forgotten about your birthday! It's a big one!" Sora cried out with exasperation.

"Big how?" Riku asked.

"Are you kidding?" Hayner asked. "You're legally allowed to drink now! You should be going out to bars and living it up!" he reminded him.

Roxas let out a loud HA! "This guy? Not a chance. Besides, going to bars means he would have to go without Sora, so you know he wouldn't."

Riku gave the group a long stare. What was so fun about bars anyway?

Hayner nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, that WOULD suck having to go alone. But waaaait...he can legally BUY all he wants now."

Pence's eyebrows raised really high, "You're not suggesting--"

Roxas's face lit up. "OOOH!"

"The answer is no," Riku said bluntly.

"No to what?" Sora asked.

"You're totally saying yes! I'm texting the others," Roxas waved the silverette off as his thumbs got to work texting Ventus and Vanitas.

"I said no!" the elder male insisted.

"NO. TO. WHAT?" Sora demanded.

"Don't worry! We'll all pitch in so you can buy whatever you want," Hayner waved Riku off. "Party in the hideout! Let's go!"

"The munny isn't the issue here!" Riku stammered.

Roxas hung up the phone. "They're coming right over. No backing out now!"

"I was even IN in the first place!" Riku shouted.

"I still don't even know what we're talking about!" Sora shouted even louder, causing all of the others to stop their arguing and give him a long stare.

Roxas sighed and rested a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Riku's going to buy the booze and we're all going to party in the hideout with him."

"OHHHHHHHHHH! Why didn't you say so??" Sora laughed and pulled out his wallet and shoved a huge amount of munny into Riku's hands. "Go nuts, Riku! Come on, Roxas! We're going to need snacks!"

"YEAH! That's my somebody!" Roxas cheered as the two of them walked off. "Hayner, Pence, get birthday boy to the liquor store! We're going to get some noms!"

Pence gave a huge thumbs up. "On it!"

"Now wait just a minute--" Riku tried to protest one more time, but Hayner and Pence were already shoving him towards the shops.

The two groups separated for a bit to gather things for their little party. Sora and Roxas raided the snack aisles and grabbed everything they could possibly carry but Sora insisted it still probably wasn't enough with how many people they were expecting to feed. Thankfully, Vanitas and Ventus showed up at just the right time, so they got to go in for a second time to buy another round of snacks, salty and sweet. After that, they hurried back to the hideout to wait for Riku and the others to get back.

Riku stood in front of the liquor store with an exasperated look on his face. Pence and Hayner were hiding somewhere nearby because they didn't want to look suspicious waiting around for Riku. After all, buying alcohol for others who are underaged was illegal. "Well, you only live once," Riku sighed and entered. The selection was very impressive for a small shop with bottles stacked from floor to ceiling.

"Can I help you?" the manager asked.

"Um...yeah...it's my birthday. I don't know what I should get," Riku chuckled with minor embarrassment.

"Ohhhh! Happy birthday! Let's get you hooked up! How many friends you got?"

"Thank you. There's seven of us," Riku answered honestly.

"Right! Let's get you hooked up. You got munny?"

"You know it," Riku grinned.

"HA! Walk with me, we'll figure out your tastes real quick! And I'll show you the best stuff for a party!"

Hayner and Pence waited in the alley for what felt like well over half an hour. "Jeez, what's taking so long?" Hayner grumbled impatiently.

"Maybe he doesn't know what he likes?" Pence answered boredly.

"Or maybe he ditched us," Hayner suspected. "The guy is a stiff sometimes."

"To be fair, this was all YOUR idea," Pence reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah," Hayner huffed.

"You going to help me carry this or what?"

The two looked up to see Riku with his hands full of double-bagged items, their faces breaking into wide grins as they hurried to help him.

"Score!" Hayner cheered. "Let's go! The others are waiting!"

Back at the hideout, Sora and Roxas were already arranging quite the snack spread wherever there was room. Ventus was already chowing down and Vanitas was making himself comfortable on the couch. After Riku arrived, they realized they didn't have anything to actually pour the drinks into, so Sora tossed some more money at Hayner to make a quick run to the party store before it closed to get some plastic cups and disposable shot glasses. Pence also remembered they should probably get some ice so he went to grab some, along with some fruit. When they got back, they were ready to party!

The group had fun looking online on their phones for drinking games and recipes for mixed drinks. Most of what Riku bought was already pre-mixed, but there were also individually-wrapped shots and small liquors to mix with as well as straight up hard liquor to take shots with. As hours dragged on, the boys were getting more and more sloppy with the drink-pouring and the games turned even sillier as it all became about dares and guy talk.

"You and Xion, man!" Hayner laughed at Roxas. "I can't believe you had us believing she was your half-sister this whole time. And now you're dating her!"

Roxas rolled his eyes as he gave Hayner a playful shove. "Well what'd you expect? Would it have been acceptable to be like "oh yeah, we're just a bunch of random people living together"?"

Pence laughed, "He's got a point. Three kids showing up unrelated with Axel and Isa as their adopted dads? It would've raised a few eyebrows."

"To be clear, we never claimed them to be our dads," Roxas huffed. "They were just our guardians."

"Yeah, but they might as well be your dads. Isa especially," Hayner snorted.

"More like a cranky big brother," Roxas debated. "And Axel's the fun big brother."

"That's kind of how Aqua and Terra are to me," Ventus laughed. "Protective big siblings."

Vanitas poked Ventus's cheek with mild annoyance. "They wouldn't have to be protective if you'd take care of yourself better."

"Yeah, yeah," Ventus shoved the prodding finger away.

Riku was settled into the couch with Sora sitting sideways in his lap, pretty much far gone since the brunette kept mixing different drinks for him to try. Hayner and Pence looked like they were on their way out as well. It was harder to tell with Sora. They couldn't tell if he was wasted or if he was just really really having a good time as he hung off of his boyfriend. Ventus and Vanitas were easily the most sober ones, but it wasn't from a lack of alcohol consumption, they just held their liquor better and you could tell Vanitas was already scheming more evil little ideas and hoping to get Ventus on board as well. Ever since the two started hanging out more, it's like they've evened each other out in some way, or at least Ven has. You could say he got a little bit of Vanitas's spice. He's pretty much completely recovered from his whole ordeal, but at a cost. Without a piece of Sora's heart, he doesn't have the same kind of connection to the brunette anymore. Though the two are still close friends and they always will be, he doesn't have the same connection that Sora and Roxas do, for example. Roxas was subtly wasted, like trying to act like he wasn't, but totally was, given how irritable he would be one second and then giggling as much as Sora the next.

Sora was just having the best time. He sucked really hard on a lemon, his tongue already practically numb at this point, and forcefully kissed Riku, the elder male sputtering so hard he nearly shoved Sora off his lap as he got a mouth full of sour! "SORA!!" he sputtered. "That was mean!"

"Hehehehehe!" Sora giggled his head off. "Worth it!"

"So when are you two getting married already?" Hayner drawled. Pence had already fallen asleep in his bean bag chair.

"Dunno!" Sora shrugged.

Riku tugged at his collar nervously as he felt his face get really hot and he's pretty sure the alcohol wasn't to blame.

Vanitas broke into a wide grin and gently nudged Ventus as if to say "watch this" before he added to the conversation. "It'd break Roxas's heart if you did!" Ventus suddenly burst into a giggle fit that had him doubling over.

"What are you talking about!? YOU TAKE THAT BACK, YOU BASTARD!" Roxas shouted, nearly stumbling as he got all up in Vani's face.

"But I'm right, aren't I?" the other man grinned.

Sora gasped and draped his arms over Roxas's shoulders. "I'm SOOOOOOOOO sorry!" he hiccupped. "I didn't know you were still crushing on Riku!"

"HEY!" Roxas tried to shove the young man off, but he still hung off of his shoulders heavily with little to no effort. "I do NOT have a crush!"

"Then what ish it?" Riku rolled his head as he looked at Roxas. "I've always wondered about that."

"Oooooh, this is gettin' good!" Hayner cheered as he poured himself another shot.

"Look, I told you already!" Roxas spun around, practically spinning Sora around with him as he pointed a finger at Riku's double that he apparently sprouted. "I shumtimes feel Sora's happy! And he's stupid happy when he's around you. So I get stupid happy too!"

Sora giggled even harder. "Hehehehe, stupid happy."

Riku looked at him sympathetically. "Doesn't that get confuzzling?"

"YA THINK!?" Roxas yelled while his cheeks got redder.

"Why didn't you shay anything?" Riku asked mournfully, now getting sad drunk.

"I did! Remember?"

"Too shuttle!" Riku cried out in dismay. It's true, Roxas DID say something to that effect when he and Roxas hung out together on the beach that one time Vani and Sora were doing...whatever it was they were doing. But he was so distraught by the whole arrangement that he must've forgotten.

"Is THAT why you took so long to confess to Xion?" Hayner asked.

"N-no! It jush wasn't the right time!" Roxas defended.

Sora blew a farting noise into Roxas's neck, making the entire room shriek with laughter while Roxas flailed to get him off. "HEHEHE!"

"SORA!" Roxas whined.

Sora finally let him go and grabbed the tequila to pour himself another shot, leaning on the table with one hand and cradling the shot with another while he spoke. "You should just kiss him already. Nothing will happen, you'll see! Then you'll be free of Riku's spell and can make out with Xion guilt-free."

Roxas nearly choked on the air he was breathing. "I do NOT feel guilty about making out with Xion!"

"Do too!" Sora retorted maturely.

"Do you want to taste my fist?" Roxas threatened.

"NO, I want you to kiss my boyfriend!"

Vanitas was leaning heavily on Ventus at this point as he struggled to contain his laughter. This was turning out much better than he expected and he couldn't dare make a noise or he'd ruin everything!

"Don't I get a say in this?" Riku asked weakly.

"RELEASE HIM FROM HIS TORMENT, RIKU!" Sora shouted dramatically!

Roxas gave Sora a long stare. "Okay, now don't exaggerate--"

Vanitas couldn't help himself and joined Sora in egging them on. "RELEASE!"

"RELEASE!" Ventus also shouted!

Riku looked helplessly at the group. Honestly, he always felt there was something between him and Roxas, something similar to Sora, but not quite. If anything, his friendship with Roxas was strangely reminiscent of his relationship with Sora was when they were 14 and 15, competitive, snarky, and full of affectionate teasing.

"But what if..."

They all stopped cheering so they could hear Roxas, the atmosphere suddenly serious.

"But what if we do and I actually like it?"

Riku felt a pang in his heart. _If..._ It was a scary thing to think about. He'd feel terrible if that ended up happening because obviously he'd have to turn Roxas down, not that Roxas would ask. He knew that much for sure. But to know that Roxas would be struggling with these feelings would somehow make him feel guilty. How would their friendship be affected by this?

Roxas looked over at Riku and asked him directly, "How do you feel about me, really?"

Riku gaped like a fish out of water for a moment as he struggled to find the right words to say. "You're my friend...and I guess I like teasing you."

"Well this got awkward fast," Vanitas grumbled, immediately sensing this was taking a turn and was about to get worse as he poured him and Ventus another shot. Meanwhile Hayner had passed out in his own bean bag chair and had begun to snore loudly.

Roxas also gaped but for a different reason. "So...you really were just teasing?"

Riku's eyes widened as he saw the disappointed look on Roxas's face. _What the hell was I SUPPOSED to say!?_ He knew he had messed up somehow but...it was the truth, wasn't it? "Weren't you teasing too?" he asked defensively.

Roxas clenched his fists as his cheeks got impossibly redder. "Yeah! But I didn't think you would tease back! And then I thought maybe you liked it!" he defended.

"Wait, did YOU like it?" Riku asked.

"AARGH!" Roxas growled with frustration and clutched at his head angrily. "I DON'T KNOW!"

"Roxas..." Sora said the other's name gently. "It's okay."

"No, it's not!" Roxas faced Sora. "I think...the reason I felt so much of what you and Riku shared is because I LIKED how you felt around each other. That warm fuzzy feeling...that happy tingling..I think I wanted that for myself for the longest time, so I kept our connection open and all I've done is make this harder on myself. I don't know how I really feel anymore!"

"I wondered about that," Ventus mused as he sipped on a pre-mixed Bahama Mama. "Xion and I felt affection for Riku for a while too. But the longer we stayed separated from Sora, the more the feelings died down. Sure, you're Sora's nobody, but you're your own person now. It just seemed strange that you had these feelings for much longer. I mean heck, I had a piece of Sora's heart and I didn't feel nearly as much as you do."

Vanitas tried not to smirk as he felt how delicate the situation was, but it still amused him somewhat, especially from the way Roxas described it. Truthfully, he could kind of relate. After all, like he told Roxas before, he could see the happiness Ventus had that he wanted for himself and resented him for it. "So you were addicted to the warm fuzzies?"

"I guess that's one way of putting it," Roxas admitted. At first the feelings were frustrating, even nauseating sometimes. But he did grow to like them, even go as far as to wish he could have that for himself someday. But when he and Riku teased each other, he got a similar feeling to the ones he was getting through Sora and began to wonder if his feelings were his own or Sora's? He LIKED teasing Riku and he liked getting teased back...maybe? But maybe this whole time he just liked the IDEA of being loved by somebody like Riku and not that he actually likes Riku in that way.

Sora grinned knowingly, as if he could sense Roxas's thought process. _Omigosh this is SOOOOO Romeo and Juliet._ He couldn't help smugly crossing his arms. "You know, Xion asked me about something like this."

The group looked to Sora with raised eyebrows.

"She asked how to tell if you're in love with your best friend or if you just love your best friend. I said I knew when I held Kairi's hand and figured out that it didn't feel the same as when I held Riku's hand," Sora explained. "Then she asked if she could hold my hand and that's when she knew."

"WAIT!!!" Roxas glowered. "You held Xion's hand!?"

Vanitas LOST it! This was getting good again!

"So just go ahead and kiss Riku!" Sora said hurriedly. "Then you'll know and we can call it even!"

"I don't think that's the same thing--" Ventus was about to say but Vanitas threw a hand over his mouth to shush him. "Quiet! This is getting good!"

Riku rolled his head back against the couch. "Why does the drama always happen at MY parties?"

The group laughed, Sora especially loudly. "You're just lucky, I guess!" the brunette snickered.

"I'll solve this really quick! Roxas, I double dog dare you to kiss Riku!" Vanitas declared.

Sora caught on quickly. "And Riku, I double dog dare you to kiss Roxas!"

Riku groaned. This was a stupid game they started earlier. To turn down the double dog dare means you have to down an awful mixed drink with whatever fruit rinds were still left and he did NOT want to chug another awful concoction by Sora or Vanitas. He looked to Roxas who had the same look of dread on his face. Surely a quick kiss was better than puking?

"And I mean a REAL kiss!" Sora added. "Full lip lock! Just think of it as your birthday kiss, Riku," Sora winked.

"Well, if it's a birthday kiss," Riku smirked. "I guess it's okay, then. Right, Roxas?"

The blonde stumbled back a step but he swallowed hard and nodded. "Y-yeah, that's fine then."

"Ha! Birthday traditions are so convenient," Ventus snickered quietly.

Riku chuckled nervously and waved Roxas over to join him on the couch. He lost the ability to stand a while ago without stumbling but didn't want anybody to know. Maybe it was the booze, but suddenly he found he didn't feel so shy about kissing Roxas as much as he was shy about kissing him in front of everybody else. But like Sora said, maybe this was something that just had to be done. Roxas groaned but accepted Riku's invitation and took a seat next to him, unable to look at Riku as the elder male leaned in. There was a long two seconds as his heart raced, Riku just held that position and politely waited. Finally he clenched his fists and turned his head, closing his eyes as he pressed his lips to Riku's.

Sora clung to both Vanitas and Ventus as they watched, one arm draped over each of them as they eagerly awaited their reactions. Sora kept his heart's connection with both men open as he watched, listening for their honest reactions. Was he worried about Riku? Definitely not. Roxas? He was about 99% sure he was right about Roxas's true feelings. The blonde just needed to see the evidence for himself, that's all. But it didn't hurt to be certain.

Riku's lips were soft...so soft....and tasty. Roxas could taste the barest traces of lemon left on his mouth. He felt Riku's lips slightly part and couldn't resist taking it as an open invitation to slide his tongue inside. Riku's tongue was there to stop him, halting his advances with a tongue collision. Roxas thought that would be the end of it, but Riku slid his tongue past his, which Roxas did NOT appreciate and tried to fight off his tongue with his own. For a second, it seemed the two of them forgot what they were doing this for. After about ten seconds, both heard Sora clear his throat impatiently and the two broke apart.

"Well?" the brunette asked.

Roxas shook his head of the fog that had filled his brain. "W-well what?"

Riku let out a loud, genuine laugh as he turned away to grab his drink off the table, the whole kiss had left him very thirsty.

Roxas read the look on his somebody's face before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "O-oh. Well, he IS a good kisser. But you're right, I felt nothing." It's true; he nearly got swept away with Riku's skills but other than that, he didn't feel the buzz that he got from kissing Xion. The rush of warm affection that he felt in his chest whenever he was around her was just not there. There was a friendly fondness, to be sure, but it was nothing like how he knew Sora and Riku felt about each other. He felt relieved but also...he was a little mad. "SHEEEEEEESH!" he flopped back against the couch. "I could've saved myself SO MUCH TROUBLE!"

Riku laughed appreciatively. "Thank you for my birthday kiss."

"You shut up!" Roxas scolded.

Vanitas smirked. "So no threesomes, then?"

"Darnit!" Sora snapped his fingers.

"SORA!!!" Roxas and Riku both shouted in shock and disgust.

"I WAS JOKING, I SWEAR!" he cried out and raised his arms as the other two chucked their drinks at him.


	96. A Day Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day at home with Sora and Riku.

"Sora..."

"Mmmm...?"

"You awake yet?"

"No."

"Then how are you talking?"

"I'm sleeping."

"No you're not."

"Are too."

The silver-haired man looked down adoringly at the brunette in his arms, gently brushing tousled bangs from his face as he tried to gently coax the other awake. His other arm was already numb and he had been watching the other sleep for a long time already. He knew the other well enough to know when he was actually awake and just refusing to get up, already very used to playing this cute little game. In fact, he's already had enough time to plan a strategy.

"So I guess I'm showering by myself then?" he teased.

"Nooooo..." Sora whined as he wrapped his arms tighter around the other's chest and further entangled their legs together underneath the white sheets.

"Then you're awake?"

"No, you're staying with me," the late riser argued as he placed a kiss on Riku's pec.

Determined not to give in, Riku sighed, "But I'm awake."

"Just sleep for a little while longer," the smaller man begged as he buried his face into the other's warm neck.

"I can't."

"Not with that attitude you won't," Sora grinned.

 _Yeah, he's awake._ "I'm getting up," Riku said firmly and sat up to shake the other male off.

"Noooooooo!" the brunette whined, clinging tightly to Riku's waist even as the taller man was already standing up and dragging him along the bed.

"Come on, Sora, or I'm getting started without you!" Riku laughed, still walking even as Sora was already dragged halfway out of bed with just his legs remaining on the mattress.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!" Sora huffed, but gave one last good YANK on Riku's waist, pulling him back into the bed on top of himself.

"WHOA!" Riku certainly didn't expect that and found himself back in bed with his head landing perfectly in Sora's lap.

The brunette made a happy noise, clearly proud of himself as he swooped his head down to capture Riku's lips in a long good morning kiss as his consolation prize. When he pulled away he smiled cheekily, "Shame you woke me up. I was having a dream that I was in bed with a handsome prince."

"I know, I was there," Riku grinned through the slight blush growing on his cheeks.

"Yeah, you were~" Sora giggled.

"Do you know what I dream of?" Riku asked.

"What?" Sora asked softly as he ran his fingers through the other's silver locks.

"I dream of a beautiful prince who lets me get up on time," he deadpanned.

Sora huffed and playfully gripped the feathery strands of Riku's hair in his grip, earning a yelp from the other as he cackled in his lap, "Yeah, well keep dreaming!"

Riku laughed and sat up to sweetly kiss Sora on the cheek before getting out of bed again. "Come on, _you_."

"Okaaay," Sora sighed before throwing the sheets off of himself and grabbing some clothes. "I'll get you back next time." Riku smirked back at the brunette and leaned over to give him one last kiss before he headed over to their adjoined bathroom. Sora smiled happily as he watched him go and waited until he was out of sight before quickly patting down his crown necklace, fumbling to make sure the special item he had clamped behind it hadn't fallen off during the night. Good, he could still feel the round object there, warmed by the heat of his own skin, he fingered the circle gently as he fought off the butterflies waking up in his stomach. Out of paranoia, he's kept the ring meant for Riku on his person at all times in the one place he knew he'd never lose it but the drawback was that he kept checking to make sure he didn't lose it! He had to make sure he didn't check around Riku so as not to arouse suspicion and of course hope hope HOPE that Riku never notices it whenever they get close. Then again, maybe he sort of _hoped_ he would notice it. After all, he's waiting for Riku to pop the question. He's sure he will. Just...when?

"You coming?" Riku shouted from the bathroom.

"Coming!" Sora called back, hurrying before Riku uses up all the hot water without him.

The two had a full day planned, though it was nothing short of a miracle that they ever get out of the shower on time. Sora had long since figured out that the reason Riku woke up impossibly early was to make up for all the dilly-dallying they were sure to do so he couldn't be too mad about it. Of course, that also enabled Sora to make them a splendid breakfast as well and if there was one thing Sora loved more than a good nap and kissing on Riku, it was food!

"Waffles again?" Riku asked as he pulled on his socks.

Sora hummed as he poured the batter into their new waffle maker that made waffles with a paopu fruit imprint in the center, a Christmas gift from Kairi. "I've just been having this craving," the brunette laughed.

Riku chuckled as he reached in the fridge for some fruit to dress their waffles with: blueberries and strawberries, of course. While Sora busied himself with the waffle maker, Riku rinsed the fruit in the sink and got down to chopping the strawberries. Together the two worked on breakfast in content silence with the occasional happy hum from Sora as he watched Riku work. Riku caught him staring and grinned as he popped a whole strawberry into his mouth and watched as the younger man blushed furiously and put his eyes back on his own task.

"D-did we run out of bananas?" Sora stammered as he tossed the first crispy waffle on to a plate and prepared the waffle iron for another one with a fresh coating of butter.

Riku snickered and leaned in close to Sora's ear. "Like those make you any less aroused than strawberries?" he commented in a dark, silky voice that he knew would make the other man tremble.

"AAGH!" Sora yelped as the tingles shot down his spine and gently shoved Riku away. "Stop that! No sexy talk before breakfast!"

"Since when?" Riku laughed as he barely stumbled to the side.

"Since now!" Sora stuck his tongue out.

Riku poked said tongue with the tip of his finger, making Sora quickly retract it as he tasted strawberry. "So it's okay when YOU do it, huh?"

"Of course!" the brunette flashed a white smile before shoving a plated waffle into Riku's hands. " _You_ don't play fair."

Riku accepted the plate and began piling fruit on top along with chocolate syrup and a light dusting of powdered sugar. "How do I not play fair?"

"You know how! Don't make me say it!" Sora scoffed as he plated his own waffle, grabbing a handful of blueberries and sliced strawberries and arranging them around the paopu fruit in a circle before filling the actual paopu with syrup and drizzling strawberry syrup on top.

After they finished, they traded plates. Sora knew Riku didn't want too much sweet stuff on top and Riku knew Sora liked his looking like a birthday cake. As they traded, they exchanged kisses before they sat down to enjoy their breakfast together. Riku cut his into neat squares before he ate. Sora just sliced his down the middle and tore it apart from there, shredding the edges so that they soaked up the syrup better before he started eating with fork in one hand and gummi phone in the other. Riku did the same and together the two ate while they checked their messages, usually work-related.

"'Nother trip next week," Sora mumbled around a mouthful of waffle and swallowed before Riku could scold him. "We should get extra eggs at the market while we're out today."

"Mm-hmm," Riku hummed and swallowed before he scrolled to the next message. "Corona again. We should pick up some wine while we're there. I feel like it's been forever since we've had any."

Sora smiled fondly at the memory. "Maybe this time we can get the "real" stuff."

Riku smirked. "Think you're ready for that?"

"Psh, are you?" Sora playfully kicked at him under the table, the other man skillfully dodging his feet as he laughed.

"So extra eggs, and what else do we need?" Riku asked, pulling up the notes app on his phone so he could add to their list.

"Butter and more cat food for Donut," Sora answered. Said cat came in from the cat door as if on cue, his fat little booty barely fitting in through the small flap.

"You gotta stop overfeeding Rox!" Riku scolded, having recently shortened the cat's other name after Roxas had figured out at long last that the cat was named after him. ("THAT'S why you kept tagging me in pictures of your cat!?")

"What makes you think I'M the one overfeeding him? I think he still hunts even if we feed him!" Sora defended.

"There's no way he's hunting when he looks like THAT!" Riku pointed out. As if offended, said chubby cat flopped over onto its back on top of Riku's feet, demanding pets or there shall be no forgiveness.

"He could be a really good hunter! We don't know about his personal life!" the brunette insisted.

"His personal life?" Riku raised an eyebrow. "What, like he has another cat friend? Or maybe another person feeding him?"

Sora shrugged. "That's possible?"

"Like this lazy cat would walk all that way to find another meal?" Riku snorted only to let out a yelp as Rox swiped his claws at his ankle. "HEY!"

"See, now you hurt his feelings!" Sora snickered as he scooched his chair back and held his arms out for the kitty. "Come here, Doughy~"

"Doughy is right," Riku huffed as he watched the heavy cat hop into Sora's lap.

"Shhhhhh!" Sora hissed as he massaged the chubby kitty behind the ears. "Don't listen to him. Daddy didn't mean it~"

"Yes, daddy did. Daddy says Doughy Rox is going on a diet!" Riku threatened.

Sora gasped on Donut's behalf. "Don't be so cruel! He's just a baby! He's a growing boy!"

"Yeah, growing in the wrong direction!" Riku huffed. "Kitty's going on a diet. End of discussion." Riku finalized before typing "diet cat food" into their grocery list. "Now what else?"

After breakfast, the two finished up their list and prepared to head out into town. It was the cooler months, so they were both dressed in their super groupies hoodies. Riku had asked if Sora wanted to warp into town to avoid the inevitable breeze that comes from riding on the back of a motorcycle, but Sora shook his head, never turning down an opportunity to spoon Riku. After throwing their shopping basket on top of said keyblade vehicle, the two rode into town to catch the early market sales.

When they know they're going to be in town for a little longer, they'll indulge in more fresh food like fish and vegetables, but if they're going away soon, they try and grab less perishable things. Eggs were always a good choice as well as some fruits like apples and oranges. Sometimes things like potatoes, celery, and carrots keep for longer, so those are good, too. Other things they already grow in their own garden such as herbs and peppers, so there was no need to look at those, but sometimes Sora's nose lead him that way anyway, unable to resist the fresh smell of basil. But even then, Riku was there to grab his hand and lead him back on track.

Over the past couple of years, the two have caused quite a stir in their sleepy little hometown, well more than usual. They've always just been Sora and Riku, the two best friends that were stuck together like glue. Then they were the boys who had disappeared and then reappeared. Then it was clear that they were more than just best friends. The ones that knew them since they were young were mostly not surprised, but the others sort of gawked at them. As they grew older and stayed in their own place away from prying eyes, the younger kids that saw them looked at them with a sort of quiet awe, like they could see something that the adults couldn't, which lead to fantastical rumors about who the two of them were and Sora relished every bit of it.

"Did you see that motorcycle?"  
"No, where is it?"  
"It's like it disappeared!"  
"Do you think they're wizards??"  
"Maybe they just hid it so nobody would mess with it."

Riku snickered as he overheard the group of kids debate but when Sora glanced over, they caught them looking and fled to find another place to watch them from, earning a laugh from Sora before they continued their shopping. With his free hand clasped in Riku's, they perused the pet shop for a better food for Donut all the while resisting the urge to look at the smaller pets that were up for sale. Sora REALLY wanted a bird and this pet store had plenty of colorful ones to offer, but he knew he and Riku just wouldn't be around often enough to properly take care of one.

"I want a cute little parrot to sit on my shoulder like some of the pirates do!" Sora whined.

"It'd poop on you. Then you'd smell like all the pirates do, too," Riku pointed out.

Sora groaned. Leave it to Riku to remind him of reality. After selecting a suitable cat food that promised better weight loss results, they went to check out and the cashier gave them a long look. Riku waited patiently as he watched her eyes dart from their hoodies to their ears where they were each wearing a single matching slayer earring. Ever since they both graduated, Sora thought it'd be cute if they shared pairs of earrings and Riku had to admit, he wasn't wrong. Plus the stat boost didn't hurt either. In fact, they were wearing their gold rings too, Sora's on his thumb and Riku's on his pinky. The gold and silver items probably clashed, fashion-wise, especially if you factor in Sora's necklace and Riku's pretty stone bracelet, but neither of them really cared. They were on the Destiny Islands, anyway. Fashion wasn't exactly at the forefront of anybody's minds. So he knew that wasn't the reason why she was staring. The fact that some of their items MATCHED was why. Finally she finished ringing them up and said "Have a good day!" and Sora gave a cheery, "You too!" before they both left.

But once they were outside, Sora was pouting and Riku quickly caught on. "Are you okay?"

"She was totally checking you out!" the brunette whined as he clung to Riku's arm possessively.

Riku let out a laugh as he freed his arm to wrap it around Sora's shoulders in a quick, comforting hug. "No, she wasn't. I promise you."

"I mean I don't MIND if they stare. I know you're gorgeous. But what about me? I'm cute too, aren't I?" the brunette joked.

Riku fought back the blush on his nose as he leaned down to press a kiss to Sora's temple. "Of course you are. In fact, you're blinding. That's probably why she didn't stare at you as hard."

"D'aw, Riku~" Sora cooed as he stood on his toes to give Riku a quick kiss. "So what's next?"

Riku scrolled down his phone with one hand while he adjusted the shopping bag on his shoulder with the other before Sora claimed his hand again. "Just the eggs now."

"Nice! Wanna grab something to drink afterwards?"

"Sure," Riku agreed after he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Just nothing too heavy for me. We still have to weed the garden today."

"So smoothie for you?" Sora giggled.

"Oh yeah!" Riku grinned. "And milkshake for you?"

"Actually, I might have a smoothie too," Sora grinned.

Riku let out a mock gasp. "Who are you and what've you done with my boyfriend?"

The brunette giggled as they walked to their last stop, an egg stand at the end of the street where they usually buy fresh eggs from a sweet little old lady who had her own backyard chickens. Sure, they could've gotten their eggs from the general store and hers were a little smaller than the others in the market, but they tasted the best and she had a little more variety as she sold quail eggs and pheasant eggs as well. Occasionally she'll even have a chocobo egg! But Sora's never attempted to cook such a huge thing before. After all, a chocobo egg was big enough to make an omelet to feed eight people AT LEAST! Today, said little old lady had one of her pet chickens with her to keep her company, a pretty little white chicken with incredibly fluffy plumage unlike anything the boys had ever seen. In fact, Sora didn't even believe it was a chicken at first! When it walked around, its little legs even had white downy feathers that made it look like it was wearing fluffy pants!

"Wow! What kind of chicken is that?" Sora asked as he bent down to its level to look at it closely.

"It's a silkie hen!" the old woman explained proudly. "She's one of my precious babies. Ho ho. I need to find her a cute boyfriend, soon."

The fuzzy chicken pecked Sora's kneecap playfully with its little black beak. "Does she have a name?"

"I just call her Silkie," she chuckled.

"Nice to meet you, Silkie!" Sora giggled.

Riku smiled and hurried to check out the old woman's wares before Sora gets any ideas about asking if they could have a silkie chicken. "Can we get two dozen of the usual, please?"

"Certainly!" the old woman nodded and let Riku pick the ones he wanted so he could lower them safely into the basket they brought with them. "I do appreciate you boys coming to see me. Are you leaving for another trip soon?"

Riku nodded as he handed her the munny plus a little extra. "Yup! Your eggs are the best for our trips," the silverette praised. "They're so good!"

"Yeah, what's your secret? The yolks in yours are so rich!" Sora also praised.

"Just happy chickens," the old woman chortled. "And the right food helps, too. Lots of space for them to be chickens and lots of hugs. That's how this old lady does it. Ho ho."

Both of them chuckled and thanked the old woman with a promise to see her again soon before they headed off to grab a smoothie at the nearby smoothie stand to enjoy before they headed back. At this smoothie stand they blend the smoothie inside of different fruit so that the containers are biodegradable. Usually coconuts are a favorite but they also do it with grapefruit and other small melon rinds. Today they both got a grapefruit smoothie with mango and banana. It's a little hard to hold while toting around shopping baskets so they sat down on one of the benches to enjoy their drinks with both hands.

Together, they people watched as the market became more and more crowded, everybody rushing to hurry to the sales before the early afternoon hits. Though Sora hated waking up early to go shopping, he had to admit it was pretty satisfying to be the first to get the good stuff and the good prices before everybody else. "You know...maybe we should wake up early when we go to Corona, too. I don't think I've ever been to their early morning market," Sora commented as he slurped his smoothie through the fat straw.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Again, what have you done with my boyfriend?"

Sora chuckled. "I mean it! I know they must have a seafood market just like we do. Wouldn't it be great to not have to dig up our own oysters for once?"

"I think you just like bargain-hunting," Riku grinned knowingly.

"And like you don't?" Sora grinned back.

"You got me there," Riku chuckled. "But that sounds fun. I want to see what kind of bread they'll have in the early mornings too."

"Even in Corona you want to make sandwiches?" Sora laughed.

"No, I want to try making bread bowls for those amazing soups you make," Riku said simply, having been inspired by the fruit they were sipping their smoothies from.

"Oooh! That's a good idea! Fewer dishes!" Sora brightened.

The silverette laughed. "Exactly."

Sora slurped the last of his smoothie, humming thoughtfully as the smells of nearby stands and restaurants wafted through the air and reached his nose. "Oh no, I'm getting hungry again."

"Your appetite never ceases to amaze me," Riku chuckled, though he had to admit, smelling all the food was making him think about lunch as well. "What do you want to make for dinner tonight?"

"That's the thing, I can't decide! Now that we have groceries, it's going to be hard to pick."

"Oh no, what a problem to have!" Riku laughed.

"Right!?" Sora also laughed. "How about we roll our own sushi tonight? We have that tuna your mom gave us."

"Sounds fun! It'll be a great way to use up some of those other vegetables you chopped before our trip."

"Definitely!" the brunette nodded and sipped the last of his drink. "We all done here?"

"Yup!" Riku slurped the last of his and the two chucked their rinds into the trash bin before walking out of sight to summon his motorcycle again. "Let's go!"

Back at home, the two got to work taking their purchases up to the kitchen, which was only a quick air step to the open deck for them. As they put the groceries where they needed to go, Sora hid away Donut's old food and poured him a bowl of the new diet food so he'd have time to get used to it before dinner. After all of that was done, they changed into some yard work clothes and hopped back down the tree to weed the garden.

There weren't a lot of weeds, but if they put it off for too long, they had a bad habit of multiplying and Sora didn't want to risk using any weed killers near the vegetables or any of the other plants for fear of Donut getting exposed or even them for that matter. After that, they harvested some of the fresh veggies and gathered them in a basket to refrigerate for later and Sora even picked a few of their flowers to put in a vase. "They're so pretty this year!" he gleed as he held up a purple bloom for Riku to sniff.

"They sure are," Riku also admired them as he took a sniff of the offered bloom. He wasn't sure what the species was. Some sort of iris, perhaps? He didn't have much of a hand in picking out a lot of these new blooms as Aerith was quite the smooth talker who sold Sora on just about every colorful flower she had, which were all cat safe, of course. In fact, the garden at the base of their tree was starting to look a lot like the field of flowers they visited in Corona with the variety of wildflowers that Sora had picked. Riku was just glad they had enough decent earth around the tree to hold all of the things Sora wanted to plant before it blended into the beach not much further off. A good portion of the flowers were planted around the bench swing that Riku had built that was beginning to remind Riku of when they visited the Symphony of Sorcery together and saw the centaurs for the first time. Vine flowers and morning glories have worked their way all around it to give them lovely flowers to enjoy no matter what time of day. Riku's favorites were probably the morning glories. Just the way their pink, blue, and white blooms opened up in the late evenings and early mornings brought a smile to his face whenever he rocked with Sora on the swing.

It seems like every day they're here they manage to make their home just a little more magical. Wind chimes tinkled beautiful little songs from the tree branches. Shooting star motifs were EVERYWHERE in the form of recycled odds and ends such as broken glass put in clay tiles to make paving stones or synthesis materials sealed in clear acrylic. Colorful bottles lined window sills so that the morning sun would send splashes of color across the walls. The flowers in their bedroom have wrapped around their four poster bed to reach the skylight and little pots of lavender and other sweet smelling herbs were everywhere to help blend with the earthy scent that sometimes came with living in a tree. Souvenirs from their different adventures were everywhere. The garden was even lined with shells and pretty stones they have gathered from all the different worlds they have gone to.

Sometimes one of them would find a piece of fabric that they would fall in love with and just buy a bunch of it to figure out what to do with later, resulting in colorful patterns everywhere. As soon as Sora figured out how to work a sewing machine, he was making all sorts of colorful pillows and cushions for the furniture that Riku made or reupholstering used furniture they found...and by reupholstering it was actually more like making a pretty new slip cover to go over it with the hopes of doing it for real one day. With any leftover pieces, Riku wove rag rugs to decorate the wooden floors with, even making a large one for the deck that the two of them liked to lay on as they stargazed while they propped their heads on the cushions that Sora so lovingly made. They weren't always the most well-made items, but they both getting better and better. It was fun for the two of them on slow days to just find stuff to repurpose and make into something new for their home and make it their own little wonderland. It didn't matter some might consider it an eyesore to have a row of paper windmills all over the deck or if none of the cushions matched or if the colorful glass made the den look like a fever dream in the early mornings. It was beautiful to THEM and that's what was important.

After they were satisfied with tending to the garden, the two took a quick walk along the beach to reward themselves for their hard work but stayed away from the water since it was still too cold. This time around Sora found a handful of Thalassa shells that he shoved in his pockets to take to Aqua later, who was collecting them to make real wayfinders for her and her friends. They also stopped check on their little paopu tree that had grown to be nearly three feet tall by now and made the tiniest and cutest paopu fruits you ever did see.

Sora patted the thin trunk lovingly. "How many more years do you think until it's as big as the one on the play island?"

Riku fingered some of the tiny little sprouting fruit buds adoringly, remembering how tiny the little tree used to be when they kept it on their deck in a pot. "Twenty years, maybe?" the silverette wondered. "I've never looked it up before, actually. I wonder how the other ones we planted are doing."

"We'll have to check on them, sometime. Maybe they've morphed together into one!"

"That's possible!" Riku mused. "Sometimes I still can't believe that our buried paopu seeds made anything at all. Didn't they say in school that paopu trees are incredibly finicky?"

"Yeah, but there was a lot of love in that fruit," Sora smiled.

"Yeah, I guess there was," Riku smiled fondly at the brunette. "You ready for lunch?"

"Oh you know it!" Sora grinned and grabbed his hand as they walked back together. "What are you in the mood for?"

"How about we eat some of that leftover soup from the other day? I could use something warm," Riku suggested as the cold ocean wind bit at their cheeks and fingers.

"You got it!" Sora chuckled.

Back in the kitchen, Riku tended to the dishes from breakfast while Sora heated their lunch on the stove. To keep the flavor fresh and to thicken it a bit, he added a couple of extra things, stirring the pot gently while he watched Riku work. He smiled gently as he watched him bend over the sink, up to his elbows in suds even though they have a perfectly fine dishwasher. It was almost unbelievable how these quiet moments living together made him so happy and he couldn't help clutching his crown necklace and thumbing the ring hidden behind it as he dared to imagine how it will certainly only get better from here. His heart already felt so full. To dream of even more...he thought his heart might burst.

As if Riku felt him staring, he turned his head to give Sora a soft smile which the brunette returned before turning his eyes back to the soup. "It'll be done in a minute."

"Can't wait. I'll go ahead and set the table," he offered as he set the clean dishes on the drying rack and dried his hands on a towel.

"Mm. Thank you, handsome," Sora smiled fondly and grabbed Riku's wrist as he walked by so he could stand on his toes and give him a quick kiss.

"You're welcome, beautiful," Riku smiled and kissed him back. But then he also gave Sora a quick swat on the butt before he walked past him to grab some bowls. "Now don't burn my soup!"

"EEP! HEY!" Sora blushed as he flinched from the playful swat, earning a laugh from the other. But then Sora was struck with an idea. "How about we eat in the den? Let's put on a movie!"

"Sure. I'll grab the soup mugs!"

In the den that used to be the study area as well as the original treehouse that Riku's grandfather built, they fluffed the giant yellow beanbag chair that Mickey gave Riku for his eighteenth birthday, their mugs full of warm soup on the short table while they debated over which movie they wanted to watch. They had a decent-sized collection by now and they've seen each one a handful of times so it was really all down to which one they felt nostalgic for.

"Ooh! How about The Princess Bride?" Sora suggested, hurrying over to pluck it off the shelf. It took them forever to find this one on DVD but even after all that effort they've still only managed to find time to watch it once.

"Good choice!" Riku gave a thumbs up and settled into the chair with his mug of soup while leaving plenty of room for Sora to join him.

After Sora inserted the movie, he too grabbed his soup and snuggled up next to Riku. "Whoever thought of soup mugs was a genius!" he giggled as he clinked his mug against Riku's in a cheers as the opening credits started.

"Agreed," Riku grinned as he warmed his hands on his mug and sipped from his soup. "Delicious. I think the chef deserves a kiss."

Sora giggled and straightened up so Riku could give him said kiss. "Glad you like it~"

The two finished all of the leftover soup and by the time the wedding scene came around, they had fallen asleep in the soft yellow monstrosity. Their nap barely lasted until the end credits though, as Donut suddenly POUNCED on the both of them and woke them up with a start, no doubt upset about what he found in his food bowl.

"Mowwwwwwwwwwww!" the cat yowled.

"Sorry, Donut. It's for your own good," Sora tried to appease the upset kitty with pets, but said cat only turned his butt in Sora's face to crawl onto Riku next and howl at him too.

"MROW MROW!"

"Nope, it's not up for discussion," Riku shook his head.

Donut Rox did not like that answer and batted Riku's forehead with its beany paw before hopping off the both of them to throw a fit on the floor, rolling around on its back and flipping over to dig its claws into the fluffy rug that Queen Minnie had also gifted Riku. "MROW MOW MOWWWWWW!"

"Behave, Rox!" Riku scolded and picked up the cat by his scruff to give him reassuring cuddles. "You'll thank us later when your joints don't hurt from being so fat!"

"Mowwwww..." the cat whined as he settled into Riku's arms. He may still be upset but he did like pets.

"If you don't like it, you can always go back to hunting for your own food," Riku suggested.

"Mrow," the cat huffed and swished his tail with displeasure.

"Guess that settles that," Sora snickered.

With their lunch and brief nap over, the two decided to start preparing for their trip next week. They each answered their messages and went through their usual checklists. First they made sure their traveling clothes were washed and ready. Thanks to the three good fairies, they had plenty of new sets of traveling clothes to choose from, all with magical pockets of course, but for the sake of keeping everything straight, they opted to each use a side satchel to wear with them always so they don't lose certain things in other pockets. Sora had taken the leather satchel his parents made him for his eighteenth birthday and gotten a spell cast on it to make it as infinitely deep as his magical pockets and Riku was given a black leather one from Aqua and Terra. They used it to hold their most important items such as their keyblade armor shoulder plates, potions, munny pouches, camping equipment, gummi phones, general equipment, and so on and so forth. Though they've gotten pretty good at keeping everything in one place, they've gotten in the habit of double-checking the same list every time, just in case. After the fiasco where they realized they forgot the potions and tent in the wrong pants, they decided they never wanted to make that mistake again.

After they made sure they had their clothes picked out for next week and their food rations were decided upon and their camping equipment was still in good working order, they planned out their accessories. There were plenty of water and wind elemental enemies in Corona, but nothing they needed too much special equipment for. But Riku did want to bring along the ribbons that helped protect them against heartless pollen, the both of them sneezing so badly last time that they both nearly got nosebleeds.

Despite having an itemized list and having carried out this routine many many times, it's not always as quick as they had hoped. By the time they were finished, meal plan and everything, they both felt now was a good time to wash up and get ready to make dinner. One quick shower later to get all the sand and dirt from the garden off of themselves, they were back in the kitchen and chopping up tuna and vegetables and steaming rice to get ready to make sushi.

Together they had a fun time rolling up their homemade sushi, teasing each other over the fillings they chose and even trading half their portions with each other so they can try each other's. Given how healthy Riku likes his meals, Sora's always so surprised whenever Riku finds a way to mix cream cheese into his sushi rolls. It just seems so out of left field for him. But then he supposed it must come from growing up in a fishing family and trying to mix things up every now and then. When it comes to his own sushi-rolling, Sora enjoyed making colorful shapes and patterns, often at the risk of making odd flavors. This time he was a little more careful so as not to ruin the taste of the lovely tuna they were given. After about an hour, they had created quite the spread and arranged their works on a large plate to set on the table alongside little saucers of dipping sauce and such for the both of them and finally they dug into the fruits of their labor.

"I think we might've made too many," Sora giggled.

"You say that every time and yet you usually end up eating most of them," Riku pointed out.

The brunette snickered. "This is true. But I really mean it this time."

"Yeah, we'll see," the silver-haired man shook his head with a grin. "The ones you made are really good."

"So are yours!" Sora complimented. "Took me a while to warm up to the cream cheese, but I'm starting to like it."

"Told ya!" Riku snickered.

As Riku predicted, they managed to eat all of the sushi and washed the dishes together afterwards. Maybe THIS was why they never used the dishwasher. It was just more fun to wash and dry the dishes together, especially when they threw the suds at each other and made a mess of things. At least when everything was dried off afterwards the countertops were sparkling clean.

"Is it considered a mess if it's covered in soap?" Sora asked.

"Umm...I don't know. That's kind of a paradox, isn't it?" Riku rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

The two of them burst into a fit of tired giggles, but they weren't quite ready for bed yet so after they changed into their comfy pajama bottoms, they decided to hang out on the couch in the living room and read together, Riku lounging on his back with his reading glasses on and Sora lying on top of him holding the book. Tonight they were reading the story of Sleeping Beauty, a version where the sleeping princess was actually a warrior. Sometimes they liked to read the stories out loud, but other times they just read silently to themselves unless they had a comment to make about it. In this case there were a few words that neither of them understood so they had to squinting to read the subtext that was helpfully included at the bottom of some of the pages. The more often they did these little reading sessions, the more in tune they have gotten to the point that they both finished reading pages at the same time and Sora could turn the page without Riku having to wait for him to catch up. By the time they finished, the clock on the wall rang away the hour and they decided it was time for bed.

Sora shimmied off of Riku and put the book back on the shelf before offering his hands to Riku to help him up, the older male groaning appreciatively as he accepted his the lift. Donut Rox caught on very quickly that it was bed time and bound for the bed so he could reserve the best spot for himself, making the young men chuckle as they turned off the lights and followed after him.

The two of them brushed a couple of stray petals off the sheets before settling under the covers and fluffing the pillows just the way they like them. Since it was a cooler night, it was prime cuddle real estate as the two of them scooched close, Sora resting on Riku's chest and Riku tucking his arm under the pillow so he can wrap it around Sora without losing circulation in his arm, Donut Rox sleeping on his own pillow near the headboard. Since the sun was coming out later in the day, they didn't bother sliding the canopy closed so the two of them stared up at the stars through the skylight as they got settled in.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Sora asked sleepily.

"Bubble bath sounds nice," Riku yawned, though really he was just thinking of relaxing activities to make himself even more sleepy.

The brunette snickered. "Yeah? That does sound nice. And after?"

"We gotta return the books we borrowed to the library," the older teen drawled while he traced lazy circles into Sora's side, though not close enough to his ribs to tickle.

"Hmmm...you're right. We need to pick up some new ones so we'll have something to read on our trip," the smaller male yawned.

"We haven't raided Master Yen Sid's library in a while. Maybe we can make a stop there instead," Riku suggested as he closed his eyes.

"Ooh, yes," Sora closed his eyes too. "Maybe the forbidden section this time," he murmured.

"No way...am not getting turned purple again..." Riku murmured. "Good night, Sora."

"Good night, Riku," Sora giggled quietly before the both of them drifted off to sleep.


	97. Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora has no idea what Riku's so tense about as they prepare to go to a homecoming party for Master Yen Sid. In fact, everybody seems to know something that he doesn't.

It was sure to be a big party. When Master Yen Sid told them the news that he wanted to go back to his original home, they almost couldn't believe it. But the old wizard claimed that he was confident enough in his own safety to return to his home world so everybody was eager to help him celebrate the joyous occasion.

Sora was super excited to see everybody. It's been a long time since so many of them have been together in one place. Even Vanitas said he might be fashionably late. But at the rate he and Riku were going, they were going to be fashionably late too and for once it wasn't Sora's fault. They had decided that the event was going to be a semi-formal affair, so naturally the two of them had a little difficulty deciding what they wanted to wear, but Sora didn't think he'd settle on his look before Riku.

When he checked on the silverette one more time to see if he was ready, he couldn't help smiling as he noticed Riku was wearing an outfit very similar to what they wore on their first date, with a new set of black pants of course since he had outgrown the other ones. But the rest was pretty much the same. His own outfit was also kind of similar to what he wore that day, he just noticed. Then again, neither of them knew much about fashion and tended not to stray too far from looks they already knew worked for them. But Riku still looked like he was debating so Sora hurried to find his boots for him and get the gummi ship warmed up. "Riku, you look great in everything! Just pick something or we're going to be late!"

"I'm sorry, it's just--" the older male stammered, tripping over an excuse just as Sora grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him into a kiss.

When they finally parted, both were all smiles again. "You look great," Sora whispered before kissing him one more time. "Let's go."

"Alright," Riku conceded and gave him one more kiss before taking his boots from Sora. "You all set?"

"Yeah!" Sora smiled widely.

Even during their flight over Riku seemed incredibly uptight about something but Sora felt this was one of those times where he shouldn't pry, so he left Riku to his thoughts while he occupied himself with texting Roxas on his gummi phone.

Roxas: U excited about 2nite?  
Sora: You know it! =D Can't wait to see everybody again! ^( ^ o ^ )^  
Roxas: How's Riku?

Sora blinked in slight confusion but glanced over at Riku regardless out of the corner of his eye to see the older man was sitting up almost unnaturally straight in the captain's chair. He texted back.

Sora: Seems ok? Not really sure.  
Roxas: LOL check out this song!!!

Sora clicked on the link Roxas provided and listened to a song about a girl who has the hots for a weenie man and it was probably the funniest song he's ever heard. He played it again for Riku and sang along but the silverette didn't seem as amused by it as he was. If anything he now seemed even more tense than before.

The rest of the trip to the Symphony of Sorcery was carried out in relative silence. Both were relieved when they made it on time and Sora wasted no time greeting all his friends and of course, Master Yen Sid himself. The two's working relationship has gotten better over the past couple of years. In fact, Sora would probably go as far as to call him a friend and certainly a mentor. And maybe he was imagining it, but the wise old wizard seemed to greet him with an uncharacteristically warm smile, like he knew something that Sora didn't. Then again, that wasn't unusual for him, it's just that his eyes seemed to sparkle with a hint of mischief. But oh well. His attention was soon distracted by the Wayfinder Trio!

"Master Aqua! I got the last of the shells you need. I'm sure of it this time!" He proudly dug five Thalassa shells out of the satchel on his hip and offered them to her. He's found many shells for her, but most of them just didn't seem to be the right size for her needs. But this time he was confident!

The blue-haired master's eyes lit up with delight as she saw the shells in Sora's outstretched hands, eagerly snatching them up to inspect them one by one. "You did it, Sora! These are perfect. They're even the right color! Thank you so much!"

Sora rubbed the tip of his nose happily. "You're very welcome. I can't wait to see the finished results on kingstagram."

"You bet!" Aqua smiled broadly, her eyes twinkling prettily. The keyblade master has really delved into item synthesis and armor-making when she's not making lesson plans for her future students and usually posts pictures of her creations on kingstagram. Of course, their fellow keyblade wielders were frequent customers and even the moogles have shown interest in her growing number of projects.

Terra laughed fondly. "Finally, on less project on the list," he teased.

"At least I HAVE a hobby," Aqua said pointedly. "You're starting to get as bad as Ven was. We need to find you something to do."

"What are talking about? I'm always helping you with the forge."

"Yeah, but isn't there something you'd like to do for yourself? You know, for fun?"

"Training IS fun."

Aqua and Ven let out playful twin groans and Sora could only laugh. "Well, you're all going to be really busy soon when the school opens up, aren't you?"

"That's right!" Ven chirped excitedly. "We've already found some interested students. Just need to iron out the details."

"Wow!" Sora gasped. "That's great!" Truth to be told he was feigning excitement. He was still unsure how he felt about recruiting more keyblade wielders. After all, the goal is to make sure nobody would have to go through the same things they did, which reminded him. "How's the progress on the datascape kids? Have you had a chance to talk to Ansem the Wise?" he asked.

"It might be a couple more years," Ven answered. "But it's okay. We need that time to prepare replicas anyway."

"That's true," Sora nodded.

"What are you all talking about work for?" Xion interrupted as she draped an arm around Sora's shoulders to lean on him. "It's a party!"

Sora laughed. "You're right, sorry."

Next he caught up with Merlin and Fairy Godmother. Inevitably the conversation would go back to magic and making sure he was keeping up with his studies. Donald and Goofy were not shy about tackling him in a bone-crushing hug, having not seen him in a few months and he even got a hug from Queen Minnie herself. In fact, as he talked to Daisy, he realized he was getting a LOT of hugs. Sure, he hadn't seen them in a while, but this was Master Yen Sid's party. Why was HE getting so much attention? Or...maybe he was just imagining it. He kept sneaking glances at Riku who as usual was taking in the party a little bit at a time. At least he seemed to be enjoying himself enough to talk to Roxas and King Mickey.

Kairi finally arrived in time for Master Yen Sid's speech, the redhead having flown in from Radiant Garden on her own keyblade vehicle and dressed in a cute pink dress with a black jacket and black heeled boots. "Sorry I'm late. I didn't miss anything, did I?"

Sora shook his head, though shouldn't the answer be obvious? The tower clearly wasn't in the ground yet. "Couldn't decide what to wear either?" he asked cheekily.

"Well THAT and I got caught up in talking to Even. He's really excited about something, but honestly I was in too much of a hurry to actually figure out what he was trying to tell me," she shrugged a little guiltily.

"Wow, that's not like you, Kairi!" Sora laughed.

"Well, anyway," Kairi giggled, "This is going to be really interesting to watch."

The brunette blinked. "I guess so?" He felt like there was something he was missing here. Sure, a tower floating down from space is pretty cool and all but he wouldn't say the sight would even come close to some of the spectacles he's seen, like lava titans, for example. But oh well, he wasn't about to rain on anybody's parade.

Naminé was smiling at him a lot but seemed even shyer than usual. Maybe it's because Vanitas still wasn't here yet.

After more catching up and stuffing his face with food and drink, Sora decided he was going back to Riku's side. The silverette automatically joined hands with his and smiled at him warmly, that soft mellow smile that made Sora melt as he smiled back. Soon, Master Yen Sid gave his thank you speech and expressed his hopes for a peaceful future so he can finally retire for real which made them all laugh. Then at last, Master Yen Sid, Merlin, and Fairy Godmother worked their magic to bring the Mysterious Tower to the Symphony of Sorcery and fit it snugly back into the crater it had originally resided. When they were finished, it was almost like the tower had always been there and you would never have been able to tell its foundations were ripped from this earth so many years ago. Of course, there just HAD to be fireworks to celebrate and that's when Riku squeezed his hand to lead him away.

As Riku led him towards the nearby swamp, Sora stole one last glance at the party, namely at Kairi to make sure she's okay. After all, she had been dealing with a fear of fireworks for a while, but now she seems to be doing just fine. The sight of his friends enjoying themselves made him smile before he turned his attention back to Riku.

As they walked together, the sounds of the fireworks seemed further and further away until even their light disappeared in the thick wood of the swamp. As Sora held onto Riku's hand, he pretty much forgot about them anyway. After all, Riku outshined any firework display. Even in the dark bog only lit by fireflies his eyes shone with a lovely blue-green hue. They even seemed to be sparkling as he looked down at Sora. The brunette hadn't even thought to ask where they were going as they continued to traverse the thin dirt path. He just followed Riku without question. But as their content silence continued on, he felt his heart begin to flutter and he noticed their hands getting really warm. But was it his or Riku's hand getting warm? Or was it both?

Suddenly Riku stopped and Sora followed his eyeline to a pair of beautiful white herons flying gracefully above the swamp, the two circling as if in a slow dance. Sora found himself leaning into Riku as they stared transfixed at the sight, unable to look away until the two birds rose up to the tops of the trees and took one last dance in the light of the moon before flying away and out of sight. When the brunette finally tore his eyes away from the moon, he realized he had actually stopped breathing for a moment and he was sure Riku had too as they were both probably worried about startling the birds...or something.

But then Riku pulled away and turned so he was face to face with Sora and he felt like he couldn't breathe again. Riku looked like he was about to cry, but why? Through their connection Sora felt nothing but happiness so then...

"Sora..."

Before he could respond, before his brain could even make sense of what was happening, Riku took his hands and was down on one knee in the dirt. "Riku!" he gasped. "Wait, Riku, what are you--?" the brunette stammered, his voice quivering as he watched Riku kneel.

"Sora, I...I love you so much. You mean everything to me and so much more. I've always known I wanted to spend forever with you...to share my heart with you always..." 

Tears sprang to Sora's eyes as he stared down at Riku. His mouth was moving and he was making words but it was hard to hear him as his brain was screaming, "OMIGOSH, THIS IS IT! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!" and "THIS IS HAPPENING THIS IS HAPPENING THIS IS HAPPENING!" in a mantra over and over as his knees shook and his hands trembled in Riku's while he struggled to hold back ugly happy sobs. He felt like his heart was going to burst! He wanted to scream! He wanted to cry! He wanted to do all the things! Through his teary vision, he watched as Riku released one of his hands to reach into his coat and pulled out a small red mahogany box. Then he released Sora's other hand to open it, revealing a small gold band while their heart song began to play from inside. Sora's hands were finally free to fly to his face so he could attempt to contain his sobs.

He blinked away tears as he stared down at the love of his life, surrounded by hundreds of little fireflies as if all the worlds' lights were here with them for this moment and lighting the way for what was to come next. All their struggles and all their tears have led them to this moment, their love has been and always will be their light in the darkness.

Twin tears streamed down Riku's cheeks as he spoke again, this time Sora could hear him loud and clear. "Sora will you--"

"Yes!" he gasped through his hands, interrupting the question as he could contain himself no longer. "Yes. Yes. A million times yes!" he sobbed and made grabby hands for Riku who immediately complied and straightened up to hold him tightly, their lips instantly smashing together in a long kiss.

When they parted, Riku couldn't even believe it. His brain short-circuited for a moment as he realized what had just happened. "Wait, so you mean--?"

"Yes, Riku!" Sora laughed.

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!" Riku shouted at the top of his lungs and picked Sora up by his waist and spun them both around happily.

"Riku!!" Sora laughed almost hysterically while he clung to Riku for dear life. "RIKU, WE'RE GOING TO FALL!"

"I don't care! I've already fallen so hard for you already!" Riku laughed as he set Sora down and gave him another long kiss. When they parted again, Riku realized he forgot to give him the ring. "Oh, right. I should probably give you this!"

Sora giggled, blushing a brilliant shade of pink as he held his hand out shakily for Riku who was blushing just as hard as he was. But as he locked eyes with Riku's soft gaze, the other man knelt down again, setting the open box on the ground so the music continued to play while he pressed his lips to Sora's hand, kissing it sweetly before slipping the gold band onto his ring finger. The brunette shook harder as his heart fluttered at mach speed, the gold band feeling so warm on his finger from Riku's body heat, as if he could feel the warmth of Riku's own heart on his hand. But just as he thought Riku was going to stand back up again, he placed another kiss on the ring and it lit up brilliantly with a soft golden glow. When it stopped glowing, Sora gasped to see the top of the ring decorated with brightly colored jewels where there were once indentions before.

 _So even he--!_ "They look like our--!" _It's like our combined keyblade! Just like I--_

"That's right," Riku smiled.

"Riku...Riku..." Sora cried and clutched both of Riku's hands, collapsing to his knees as well. "It's beautiful. I'm so happy. You make me so happy. I love you so much. So very much."

"Sora..." Riku choked and tried to wipe away his own tears. "I didn't think I'd cry this much."

The smaller man's hands began shaking with excitement. "There's something I want to...something I want...Hold on, just a second," Sora sniffled loudly, wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve before he started fumbling with his treasured crown necklace.

"Sora, what are you--?"

Sora unclipped the ring he had kept hidden all this time with a loud click from the clasp behind the crown charm, proudly holding the small black band out before Riku and grinning broadly as he saw Riku's eyes widen with surprise. "Wait, is that? SORA??"

"Hehe!" Sora grinned giddily as he grabbed Riku's hand. "Didn't think I could keep a secret from you, did ya?" He was very proud of himself as he slipped the band onto Riku's finger and gave his hand a kiss as well, the band lighting up just like the one Riku gave him, only to reveal a different set of colored jewels, just like Riku's half of their combined keyblade.

"Sora...It's perfect!"

"I know, right?" Sora grinned as he took both Riku's hands and pulled him toward himself for another kiss. "Did we both go to the same person?"

"We have really good friends," Riku grinned, finally standing and pulling Sora up with him. "I think I topped you, though," he smirked as he handed Sora the box.

"Always trying to one-up me," Sora snickered as he accepted the little red music box. "It's so pretty," he smiled softly as he ran his fingers over the warmed wood. "Not as pretty as you, though," he grinned as he grabbed Riku's hand and slipped the box safely into his pocket.

Riku blushed furiously and pinched Sora's cheek. "Call me pretty one more time!"

"My pretty prince!" Sora cheered happily, even as his cheek was getting pulled. Before Riku could even threaten him again, they both heard quiet whooshing above them and looked up to see the sky lit up with shooting stars! "Wow!" the brunette gasped as Riku released his face.

Riku smiled broadly and squeezed Sora's hand. "Our friends are waiting for us. Let's go."

Sora smiled back widely and nodded as he squeezed his hand back. "Yeah. Together!"

When they walked back, their friends were there waiting with knowing looks on their faces. Even Vanitas had finally shown up and as they held up their hands to show off their rings, everybody burst into cheers and some even tears.

As he and Riku got smothered in hugs and many congratulations, Sora slipped into a daze.

He...he has a fiancé. He and Riku were going to be...

Married.


	98. I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Riku are getting married!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Wedding Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxlpXydcYiX0yCFtbH-BgivKrmYV7h-Zi)

A summer wedding. It was going to be so soon. Almost too soon in a way.

"Jeez, I won't even get a chance to get used to calling you my fiancé!" Sora whined to Riku as they went over their guest list one more time.

"Yeah, but the sooner we do this, the sooner you can call me your husband," Riku grinned.

Sora smiled broadly, "You've got a good point."

The place they wanted the ceremony was tough to pick. After all, there were so many places that meant a lot to them. But for the sake of preserving world order since they both really wanted their parents to be there, they chose the play island, using the paopu tree island as the place to exchange their vows...or at least that's what they ORIGINALLY wanted to do, but they were conflicted because of limited seating options for all their friends and there was the matter of where to hold the reception. No matter what they tried, the logistics just weren't coming together and both were growing frustrated.

"Aren't we going to be violating world order anyway when my parents see a talking duck?" Sora asked.

Riku sighed. "I just want a small ceremony, but we have so many friends that want to support us..."

Sora reached for his hand. "Are you nervous?"

"Kind of," Riku admitted as he put his hand in Sora's. "When it's just you...I'm fine, I can do anything but with all these people..."

"I know, I'm worried about screwing up and embarrassing you."

"You could never," Riku smiled.

"Don't jinx me," Sora laughed. "But...maybe there's a way we can both get what we want."

. . .

It wasn't yet dawn. Sora woke up in his childhood bed slightly disoriented as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. That's right...he's getting married today.

He clutched his chest, fingers splayed over his heart as he tried to calm his breathing, his heart leaping against his palms. He had to be careful. He didn't want to wake anybody up. Due to tradition, their parents insisted that both men sleep in their old beds tonight as it was supposedly bad luck to see each other before the wedding. Well, they took that to mean bad luck to see each other DRESSED before the ceremony, but there was no arguing with them. Besides, he and Riku were about to break that weird little rule anyway. He kicked off his blankets and threw on some clothes before prying open his window as quietly as possible, the play island in his sights.

Riku could barely sleep. He hopes there will be time for a nap later. He wouldn't want to fall asleep at his own wedding. But at least being slightly restless meant he was able to wake up on time; just before dawn. He treaded quietly to the balcony of his childhood bedroom and made the leap down before dashing for the play island.

When he arrived, he found Sora waiting on their tree wrapped in a long white shawl to brace against the cool morning air. Neither were dressed in anything more than sweats and t-shirts and couldn't help giggling at themselves as they approached each other.

"Hey, handsome," Sora greeted.

"Hey, beautiful. You cold?" Riku asked.

"It's big enough for two, you know," Sora smiled before wrapping it around the both of them.

Riku let Sora pull him in close, the skin-warmed fabric a pleasant respite from the morning breeze. He helped keep a grip on the shawl with one hand so Sora can free one of his, which he held. "Are you ready?" he asked as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

"Yes..." Sora breathed. They let go of each others hands to dig in their pockets, each pulling out matching silver rings.

Though the shawl protected them from the cold, both were trembling as they stared into each others eyes. For once the both of them found themselves incredibly tongue-tied. The words they wanted to say have been etched in their hearts a bajillion times over but they couldn't seem to get themselves going to say them out loud. Finally, they both smiled and eventually broke down into a fit of quiet laughter.

"I-I'm sorry," Sora apologized. "I know what I want to say but..."

"There's so much," Riku finished for him.

"Right." Sora tilted his head as his eyes crinkled closed with a wide smile that calmed Riku's heart and made the other man want to kiss him, but he had to wait just a little bit longer.

"Maybe I should go first," Riku offered.

"Okay," Sora nodded happily and put his left hand in Riku's.

The silver-haired man took a deep, slow breath and allowed Sora's loving gaze to comfort him one more time before he spoke.

"Sora..."

"Riku..."

"I vow forever and always to love you, take care of you, and be there for you, no matter what. In darkness and in light..." he took another breath as he squeezed Sora's hand but Sora knew it wasn't enough, so he gave Riku both his hands and Riku clutched them both in kind, both pulling the shawl closer around themselves as they gripped it between them. "I vow to protect you and hold you in sleep and in waking, to dry your tears, to heal you when I can, and..." He could see Sora's eyes welling up with tears, his lower lip trembling, and reached up to brush a hand across his cheek. "And I promise I'll try to not get too mad when you forget to do your share of the chores..." Sora snorted and giggled as a stray tear fell down his face. "I'll try to leave some chocolate ice cream for you in the fridge, but I make no guarantees." Sora giggled again and Riku smiled widely before he softened again. "But above all else, I vow to support you and be your partner in everything and vow to never leave you behind." He said these last words softly, the words meant just for them before sliding a thin silver band onto Sora's left ring finger right above the gold engagement ring.

Sora swallowed back the other tears clogging his throat and wiped at his eyes with the shawl, earning a chuckle from Riku before he took the silverette's hand in his own and looked up into his bright cyan eyes. The sun was coming up and gleaming brightly in both their sights. It was almost hard to keep his eyes open.

"Riku..."

"Sora..."

"I vow forever and always and even after that to love you and take care of you...even if you won't let me--" Riku snorted and bit his bottom lip to contain himself as Sora continued. "And be there for you always, no matter what. In darkness and in light, I vow to keep you always in my heart and stay in yours. I..." he winced inwardly and took a deep breath, "I vow to always take your hand. To stay with you and never leave you behind. To be your partner, your lover, your healer, and your back-up. I vow to do my best to keep up with you and be your sparring partner and your racing rival." Riku let out another snerk even as his eyes were starting to well up too. Sora's voice was beginning to get squeaky so that made it ten times harder not to laugh. "I'll do my best to not make you motion sick when I drive the gummi ship. I'll make you all the yummy meals that I can and I'll even try to remember to do the dishes. Lastly, and I can't say this enough, I vow to always love you, my light."

Riku trembled hard, his shoulders shaking as twin tears streamed down his cheeks. Sora held his hand open and Riku gave his. When Sora slipped the silver band over his finger until it was snug against his jeweled black engagement ring, it felt so warm...as if Sora had been clutching it for hours.

With the rings exchanged, they held each others hands and looked at each other again, the sun lighting up the sky as dawn finally approached, bathing them both in a warm, golden glow.

"Sora..." Riku spoke. "Will you have me as yours?"

"Yes, Riku," Sora sniffled. "Riku..." he swallowed back one more cry. "Will you have me as yours?"

"Yes, Sora. A thousand times yes."

They both let out a sob before wrapping their arms around each other in a tight, bone-crushing embrace, Riku lifting Sora off the ground as they smashed their lips together to seal their vows with a kiss, a kiss to top all kisses...or at least it will top until later this evening.

. . .

The wedding was to be held at sunset at the mayor's vacation villa. The location was chosen for space as well as privacy. After all, this many unusual guests on the tiny islands would be sure to cause quite a stir amongst those on the main land. Planning it was a little easier after they picked the location, but not by much. Picking groomsmen and best men and all that stuff, how could they possibly? They even skipped out on the bachelor party traditions. The only thing they wanted to rehearse was their lines and their walk. Picking out outfits for everybody and walking choreography was yet another thing they didn't want to deal with. Besides, who was going to miss it? All they needed was for their parents to be involved in some way and that was good enough for them. Also...Kairi was going to be officiating.

"You want ME to marry you two?" she asked between happy sobs. "Of course! Of course I will! I'm so honored!"

The venue was decorated with so many different native island flowers. The grooms-to-be just couldn't decide on what they wanted, but the majority of them were white and yellow with some purples, pinks, and blues. The reception was to be outside beneath the stars, so the back deck was expanded to serve as a proper dance floor. The mayor insisted it needed to be redone anyway. The catering provided by Le Bistro was gifted to them by Scrooge McDuck. Said many many dishes were already being stuffed in the kitchen where Ventus was was putting the finishing touches on their wedding cake, a six tier neapolitan wonder iced with red on the bottom that blended into blue to form an almost black purple at the top that was decorated with shooting stars, like a sunset fading into night with a meteor shower. At the top was a stained glass sugar representation of the top of their combined keyblade where it formed the shape of a heart. Poor Ven was so worried about it getting broken he made two spares just in case and his hands were QUAKING as he gently set it in a nest of icing clouds with a set of tweezers. Once he was done, he even asked Aqua to put a protective barrier around the cake so it will be protected until the reception.

"It's beautiful, Ven," Aqua praised. "Your decorating skills have really improved. They're going to love it."

"Thanks, Aqua!" the blonde beamed happily.

"Do you think...you could make one me and Terra when we have our wedding?" she smiled shyly.

Ven's eyes widened and shone with happy tears as he rushed over to hug Aqua. "Of course! I'd love to! I'm so happy for you both!"

The blue-haired woman giggled happily and returned the tight hug while she also tried to shush the blonde. "Shh, we haven't told anybody else yet. After all, this is Sora and Riku's day."

"Right," Ven giggled in a hushed voice. "Not a peep."

There was activity going on everywhere while the two husbands-to-be were kept in separate rooms.

"Shouldn't I be checking on the--" Riku tried to ask but Kairi quieted him.

"You don't need to worry about anything at the moment. They'll call on you when they're ready for you to see it. If you go out there, you'll only get anxious!" she insisted as she stood between Riku and the door. Outside in the hall, they heard Sora fretting over something and being forced back to his room. "Like that," the redhead laughed. "You know what, toss on your shoes. I'm calling the girls."

Riku blinked. "Why?"

"Taking you out for a spa day. You look like you need it. I'll tell the boys to get Sora out of here too. You two didn't get a bachelor party, you might as well have fun while things are getting set up."

"Kairi, I don't--"

"This isn't a discussion!" Kairi interrupted as her thumbs flew over her gummi phone screen. "They're on their way!"

Riku smiled helplessly and just sighed, accepting his fate. "Let me grab my shoes."

Meanwhile, Roxas was trying to shove Sora back into his room. The brunette had been wondering if they should change the location of their wedding arch and the chairs because the wind had picked up just a smidge. Said wedding arch was a collaboration between Aqua, Kairi, and both Sora and Riku's dads. It was a beautiful structure made of driftwood interwoven with their chosen flowers with glittery purple tulle and dangling wayfinders to resemble stars strung up in the sky above their heads. Said arch was FIRMLY planted in the sand and definitely not going anywhere, but that didn't stop Sora from worrying.

"Don't worry about it!" Roxas insisted. "Your dad's weighing the arch down without you even asking. Just wait 'til everybody's finished and THEN you can freak out."

"I just want everything to be perfect for Riku!" Sora whined.

"It will be, for BOTH of you," Roxas assured him as he tried to shove the brunette through the doorframe that Sora was clutching onto. But then he got a text from Kairi. "Change of plans, let's go. Guys, we're heading out!" he shouted to their other friends who poked their heads out of their assigned rooms and hurried to gather and help drag Sora away.

"Wait! Where are we going!?" Sora cried out as he was dragged away.

The island that the mayor's private residence was on wasn't an island that they were that familiar with, save for Kairi. She took Riku, Xion, Naminé, Olette, and Aqua to a spa in town. Sure, she should've had a reservation first, but being the mayor's daughter and explaining Riku was getting married that day magically opened space for them. It was too late to back out now, so before Riku knew it, he was sitting in a salon chair and getting both his hands and feet worked on.

He flinched and nearly ran for it when one of them suddenly touched his left hand, but Kairi was quick to calm him. "It's okay. It won't hurt."

Riku settled and apologized. "I'm sorry, I just--"

The salon worker noticed the scar and just gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll start you off with a hand massage before we get started and ease you into it. We have a lot of work to do if you want your hands pretty for your wedding."

Riku chuckled awkwardly as she started massaging lotion into his hand. "I was under the impression I was here to relax." He looked pointedly at Kairi in the chair next to him.

"Being taken care of IS relaxing," she laughed and the other girls agreed. Even Master Aqua was enjoying the massaging footbath enormously. 

Riku smiled over at the redhead and his other friends. Maybe she had a point. He and Sora had been strung tight for the past couple of months. Even though they both felt much better after eloping this morning, the butterflies were back in full swing. He can see now why parties are thrown before the wedding. It's nice to have the support of your friends. He then realized something. "Wait, how are you paying for this?"

Kairi grinned. "I'll just take it out of the wedding budget Sora gave me."

Riku raised an eyebrow, "And how much did he give you exactly?"

"He told me not to tell you," Kairi shrugged. "Said you wouldn't feel comfortable being spoiled."

Olette giggled. "I'm so excited for you two. Tell us about the outfits!" As a clothing designer, she was super curious.

"Are you sure?" Riku asked. "I don't want to give spoilers if you don't want them."

"It's fine! Just tell us the story. Everybody has a story about why they picked what they wore for their wedding. I'm sure you have one too!"

The other girls nodded and squealed excitedly as they urged Riku to spill so he laughed and decided to cave. At least talking distracted him from the weird filing they were doing to the callouses on his feet. "Well, we were trying to find a balance with everything, you know? We knew we wanted our family to come and we liked the idea of having a traditional island wedding without being too over the top. Tuxes, suits, or whatever would've been cool, but we couldn't find a way to make them fit with what we were going for, so we went in the direction of sarongs paired with white linen shirts. We knew we wanted to match because we didn't want to do the whole black and white thing. We wanted to avoid the whole "Which one is the bride?" debate. I'm sure none of the others would _dare_ to have that conversation," he smirked.

Naminé giggled. It's true, it WAS a friendly debate/joke amongst their friends. Though they all knew both were equal in their relationship in every way and neither really fit into either mold. "Sora DOES look fantastic in a dress, though~"

Xion also giggled. "He did! I was almost disappointed you two didn't go with a Cinderella theme~"

"Pfffft," Riku snorted. "Sora and Kairi can keep their Cinderella thing. That's different from what me and Sora have."

Kairi flushed and scrunched her toes, smiling happily at the memory. "Anyway, keep going! Tell them the best part!"

"Oh, right!" Riku laughed. "So our moms both know traditional macramé and have worked together to make us these beaded shoulder coverings that look like our combined keyblade when we stand side by side. I think they used sea glass for the beads. They're both...well...I can't wait for everybody to see them."

"Awwwwwwww, they sound amazing!" Olette got all sparkly-eyed as she resisted clasping her hands together to avoid smudging her nails. "I can't wait to see you two walk down the aisle."

"I saw the flowers, too," Aqua smiled.

"Oh right," Riku rubbed the back of his head with his free hand as a blush rose to his cheeks. "We're wearing flower crowns."

The girls erupted in giddy squees. "That's going to be so pretty!" "I can't wait to see them!" "Omigosh, who's doing your hair?"

"Heh, Sora's mom is going to give us both a trim, probably as soon as we get back. I was supposed to get mine done before Kairi insisted on kidnapping me," Riku smirked.

"Well this was badly needed," Kairi smirked back shamelessly. "It was an emergency!"

Riku sighed but smiled fondly. "No, you're right. Thanks, Kairi."

"You don't need to thank me, you big softy," the redhead laughed playfully.

"Well, thank all of you for being here. Sora and I really do appreciate all your love and support."

"You can save the speech for the reception," Xion winked. "Let's just have fun before we go back and get you all stressed out again."

Riku laughed heartily. "You're right. Let's get back to relaxing. OW!" he yelped when the manicurist scraped away one of his cuticles, earning more laughter from the girls.

Roxas, Vanitas, Ventus, Terra, Hayner, Pence, Donald, Goofy, Axel, and Isa had all ganged up on Sora to get him out of the house. The brunette wouldn't admit it, but he was a nervous wreck. Performing on stage in front of a crowd of people was one thing, but saying his vows to the love of his life before all of his best friends was a whole different level of pressure he didn't expect. So when Roxas was put in charge of helping him relax, Sora wasn't exactly all that confident. But the blonde was very quick to find a popular burger place nearby that served milkshakes and their small party lined up to grab lunch before finding a good spot on another beach to chill out and eat before they decided what they wanted to do next.

Though he was happy to be surrounded by his friends, Sora just couldn't bring himself to eat. His stomach doing backflips even as the tantalizing smell of the burger in his hands filled his nose. He just couldn't get his appetite going.

"Eat befar it getz cold!" Donald scolded before loudly slurping his milkshake.

"Ahyuck! Yer not getting cold feet, are ya?" Goofy asked playfully as he tried to tempt Sora with a french fry.

"No, that's not it. I'm just nervous," Sora tried to explain. "I dunno, I was fine with Riku this morning--" He stopped himself as he realized his slip up.

"Uh-ohhhhhhh," Axel grinned. "You broke tradition! You're in troubleeeeeee~"

"Oh no!" Roxas cackled. "No wonder he's nervous!"

"That's it. It's doomed to fail," Vanitas teased.

"You two be nice," Terra scolded though he was struggling to contain a laugh as well.

"Oh no, could it be I'm actually documenting their eventual downfall?" Pence asked dramatically as he whipped out his camera. He'd been chosen to film and photograph the wedding, including the behind-the-scenes and he's been taking it very seriously.

"Don't film the guy eating!" Hayner scolded. "Can't you see he's falling apart?"

"Stop teasing me!" Sora whined before taking a bite out of his burger, the juicy flavors serving as a good distraction after all and having something in his belly did seem to drive some of the butterflies away. "And that's not what I'm worried about," he huffed around a mouthful of french fries.

Axel smirked knowingly and reached over to nudge Sora's shoulder with his fist. "Look, Sora, your wedding isn't a performance. It's something special for you and Riku that you're sharing with your friends who have come to support you. So don't worry about anything else."

Sora smiled. "You're right. Thank you. Thank all of you for being here with me. I...I really--"

"Yer cwushing yer food!" Donald squawked!

Sora looked down at the burger that had been completely squashed in his hands. "Oh no!"

"We need another burger, stat!" Ventus cried out.

"I'll get it," Isa volunteered and stood up, having finished his burger already.

"Thanks, Isa," Sora murmured with a little embarrassment.

"Think nothing of it," Isa waved him off before heading back to the restaurant.

Goofy ruffled Sora's hair playfully. "Don't worry, Sora. Riku loves you. You only have to be yourself. Once you see him, all those jitters will disappear and you'll remember nothing but how happy you were. Hoohoo."

Sora smiled warmly at his former traveling companion. "Thanks, Goofy. Were you this nervous on your wedding day, too?"

"Gawrsh, was I! Ahyuck! I was trippin' on my feet all day! Luckily I didn't hafta do any walkin'. I just had to stand there and watch as my beautiful angel came down the aisle." His eyes got all watery and he grabbed his handkerchief to blow his nose loudly while Sora gave him a pat on the back. "But when she stood in front of me, that all went away. She held my hands and I held hers and I felt lighter than air. I know you and Riku will have that special moment, too. You just gotta hang in there and be patient. Hyuck."

Donald snickered. "Shee, yer not nervous. Yer just impatient!"

Sora laughed. "Is that it?"

"That's totally it," Roxas agreed.

Ventus nodded, "You've been impatient ever since you asked Aqua to make the ring."

Sora's face flushed. "I wasn't THAT impatient."

"You texted her every day," Terra smirked. "She almost put you on silent."

Axel guffawed loudly just as Isa returned with a replacement burger for Sora who just now got the ketchup wiped off of his hands. "Thanks!" His appetite was back now and he resumed stuffing his face greedily. "Sho gooood!"

"That's more like it!" Roxas chuckled. "After this, let's raid the arcade."

"Alright! Time to whoop you all at some DDR!" Axel cheered.

"What's DDR?" Terra asked.

"First contestant!" the redhead grinned.

"You set yourself up for that one," Vanitas smirked.

"Good luck," Isa smirked before sipping his milkshake.

The two groups stayed out until Sora and Riku's parents told them they should start heading back. Back in their rooms, the two scrambled to shower and get ready, Sora especially so after getting sweaty from playing DDR. After toweling off, Riku sat around in his pajama bottoms while he waited for Sora's mother to come by and do his hair. Stray droplets dripped from his hair and down his back as he waited, leg jittering slightly as he sat in the chair that somebody had set up for him. He tried not to stare too much at his newly manicured nails but they almost didn't look like his own nails anymore and they were so shiny with a clear coat put on. He was then startled by a timid knock at the door that sounded really close to the floor. He knew that knock. "Come in!"

"Heya!" King Mickey swung the door open and closed it behind him cheerfully his arms open for a hug, which Riku gladly gave him, practically falling out of his chair as he hurried to kneel and embrace his friend. "How ya doin', pal?"

"I'm so glad you're here!" Riku laughed as he pulled away. "I've been a wreck," he answered honestly.

"Aw, poor guy!" the mouse chuckled as he patted Riku's knee. "I remember how nervous I was on the day of my wedding too, haha!"

"You, nervous? Never!" Riku smirked.

Mickey aimed a playful swat at Riku before walking into the room properly to take a seat on the edge of the bed while Riku got back into his own chair, sitting on it backwards to give the king his attention. "Well you know she was a princess, right? I was a nobody. Of course I was nervous."

"Sure," Riku smiled as he crossed his arms over the back of the chair as he listened to his mentor.

The king waved his hands animatedly as he told the story, his little flails and posture totters making Riku chuckle quietly as he went on and on. Apparently he was very klutzy back then when he was nervous, a thing the king and his companions definitely had in common. "So after all that, I was wondering if I really was fit to marry Minnie and thought maybe I should save face and save her the trouble and just run away. But gosh, Riku, I loved her so much. Then I saw her walking down the aisle and by golly I knew then would've taken down fifty dragons and a hundred giants if it meant I could share the rest of my life with her. After that, none of the other stuff mattered. So sure, you're nervous now. But that's okay. Your friends are here for you and Sora loves you so much. Everything's going to go great. And hey, no matter what happens, I know he'll marry you. So you have nothing to worry about! Ha ha!" he chuckled.

Riku's heart felt lighter as he listened to the king's story, smiling fondly as Mickey reassured him. "Thanks, Mickey. I do feel better."

"Glad I could help, haha!" Mickey chuckled. "Ya know, I haven't seen the rings yet! Can I get a spoiler?"

"You sure can!" Riku grinned as he held up his hand. He was wearing three bands already, two on his ring finger and one on his pinky. He knows Mickey had seen the engagement ring Sora gave him when they were at Master Yen Sid's party and he's probably noticed the gold one before, too. In fact, he was surprised nobody has asked him about the new silver band he has on next to the black engagement ring with jewels on it. But the one for Sora is on his pinky, a gold band that Sora gave HIM during their matelotage. During their pirate wedding, a drunken pirate had been the one to buy the rings and although he somehow got accurate sizes, they managed to exchange them BACKWARDS. The one that would fit Sora perfectly somehow managing to find its way onto Riku's hand as well as the other way around. Since that day, they've never corrected that mistake, wordlessly deciding that they'll exchange them again one day when they were ready for a "real" wedding, Riku wearing his too small ring on his pinky finger and Sora's on his thumb. They were simple gold bands, but they meant a lot to the both of them. It was another symbol of a promise between them being fulfilled.

He could see the confusion on Mickey's face as he wiggled his pinky finger. After all, Mickey's seen that ring before. He laughed and told the story, earning a chuckle from the mouse. "Gosh, what a great story! It's so like you two! Is the silver one something special too?"

"Yeah," Riku smiled fondly down at his own hand, twisting the band gently on his finger while a faint blush rose on his cheeks. "We...eloped this morning at sunrise. Just the two of us. It was just something we both felt we needed to do."

"Aw, that's so romantic. So this will be your third marriage then, huh?" the king chortled.

Riku burst out into laughter as well. "I guess so! Seems to be a theme with us. You know it took until the third paopu before he shared one with me."

"Wow! That IS something!" Mickey laughed along with him. He could tell the gold ring was well-loved. He doesn't remember when Riku started wearing it, but he remembered first noticing it a couple of years ago...probably around the time Riku started wearing an earring, too. He thought it was a little odd, as his old traveling companion never used to wear jewelry, not even as stat-boosting accessories, let alone a gold pinky ring. But he never questioned it. Now it was all beginning to make sense. He then chuckled. "You know, that hand of yours is starting to get full!" he pointed out. Not only will Riku be soon wearing three rings but he also has the bracelet Sora made for him on top of that.

Riku laughed. "Yeah, you're right. That's why we went with thin bands for the elopement rings. Though I suppose I could wear one on each finger. Might be a tight fit...but would that look weird?"

Mickey covered his mouth as he tried not to laugh. "I wouldn't worry about it, I was just teasing."

"Who decided the left hand was the marriage hand anyway?" Riku huffed.

"Well, long ago, people believed the left ring finger had a vein that ran directly to the heart, the _Vena Amoris_ , meaning "vein of love". With the heart at the center of your emotions, this was thought to be the best finger to wear your engagement ring on. It showed to all the symbol of your love and that your heart had been claimed by another."

"Look at you over here, Mr. Knowledgeable," the silver-haired man teased.

"Yeah, well, you asked," the king reddened.

"You're right, I did," Riku laughed.

"You have a lot of love on that hand!" Mickey teased.

"Yeah, yeah, yuck it up!" the other rolled his eyes playfully.

There was another knock at the door. "That must be Sora's mom. She's here to do my hair."

"Oh, well don't let me keep you!" the king chuckled and hopped down to take his leave. The woman at the door was naturally startled to see the king but he just chuckled. "'Scuse me, ma'am!" he smiled before walking past her to rejoin the others.

The brunette watched the king leave before closing the door behind herself. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't stare but I'm seeing a lot of things today."

Riku laughed as he sat in his chair properly. "You're fine. I'm sure he's used to it."

She snickered too before wrapping a smock around Riku and hurrying to get to work. "We don't have a lot of time. I still need to do Sora's and you know how long that might take. Your mom's coming with your outfit too."

"Right," Riku smiled as he held still while clippers buzzed near his neck and sent a chill down his spine. "How's it looking out there?"

"Oh, it's beautiful, honey. You and Sora are going to love it!"

"I'm glad everybody seems to be having a good time. Is it awful of me to say that I can't wait until this is all over?" he asked.

"Haha, no, of course not. Weddings are weird that way. It all SEEMS like it'd be fun to plan, but very rarely does it turn out that way. Setting up is even less fun. But in the end, hopefully it all feels worth it. Right?"

"It will be if Sora smiles," Riku grinned.

"Oh he will. And so will you," Sora's mom assured him as she ran a comb through his hair and slicked his bangs out of his face. "Let's keep these back for the ceremony, okay? I know my boy wants to see your eyes when he says "I do"."

Riku blushed, "S-sure."

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOWCH!!"

Riku nearly jumped out of his chair when he heard Sora yelp down the hall but resisted the urge to go running as Sora's mom retracted her scissors just in time to keep from clipping too close. "What the heck!?"

Sora's mom shoved him back down by his shoulders. "Kairi's plucking his eyebrows," she explained simply.

Riku snorted. "What? Why?"

Riku's mom entered the room with his clothes. "He wants to look his best. Why else?" she answered as she shut the door behind herself with her foot.

"Hey, mom," he greeted with a smile. "All set?"

"All set!" she smiled warmly as she set the clothes down on the bed with a flower crown on top, a beautiful little wreath with purple and blue flowers. She then held up a small chandelier earring with dangling beads made of sea glass that matched the ones on the macramé shawl he was going to wear strung on tiny black woven threads and looped it in Riku's ear. "Perfect. I made one for Sora, too." She held up mirror for Riku to see.

Riku's jaw dropped slightly as he dared to reach up and finger the tiny beads. "It's...wow." He swallowed hard as he glanced up at his mother who was cupping his cheek with a proud smile on her face. "You don't think it's too much?"

"Of course it isn't," she huffed. "It's your wedding day. You can't possibly have too much."

Riku snickered, "I guess that's true."

"You can if my son has anything to say about it," Sora's mom chortled as she finished up. "I'm surprised you two aren't having a wedding for every day of the week."

Riku slipped his hands into his pajama pockets as he chuckled nervously. "Yeah, imagine that."

When she finished, she hurried to brush the hair off of his shoulders and make sure he was completely cleaned up. "Well, what do you think?"

Riku held up the mirror his mom had to look at his hair from all sides. It was like his usual shortened style that he's really grown to like but now a little cleaner, more slicked back in sharper tufts and the whisps of fringe in the front were now pushed back. He hadn't realized how much more chiseled his features looked without his hair framing his face. He looked pretty sharp, if he did say so himself. "I look so...cool. Now I kind of wish I had a tux," he laughed.

"Oh really?" Riku's mom grinned widely, making Riku arch a silver eyebrow suspiciously.

"Mom...don't tell me..."

She reached into the closet and pulled out a sharp-looking black silk tux that had a blue-ish sheen in the light, especially on the shoulders where there was almost a very subtle, almost-holo effect with colors he recognized as the ones on his engagement ring along with glints of silver, with a slim black silk tie that had had the same effect on the bottom and a charcoal black blouse. "For the reception!"

"Mom!" Riku gasped and hurried out of his chair to look at the outfit. "How did you--I wasn't fitted for anything!"

"I asked some of your friends for help. There were these three lovely ladies who were more than happy to help," she explained. "Sora's getting one, too!"

Riku looked over at Sora's mother. "Did you know anything about this?"

"Wellllllllllllllll, I _might_ have helped come up with the idea. Sora once told me that he had a dream about dancing with you in a tux in the clouds and I always thought it was the cutest thing," she giggled. "So we told all the guests to have TWO outfits."

A blush instantly rose to Riku's face. So...Sora's had that kind of dream too, huh? Figures. He smiled warmly at the both of them. "I...I don't know what to say. But it also feels like you two hijacked my reception a bit," he smirked.

"Well, you two have been too busy to think through a lot of the details. We had a feeling you might've liked this idea if you had thought of it first," his mother consoled him.

"No, you're right. We have been trying to make it as stress-free as possible...we might've glossed over a few things that we both might've really enjoyed," Riku admitted. "Have you told Sora about this yet?"

"Oh I did," Riku's mom grinned. "Silly boy nearly cried."

Riku laughed. "There's going to be a lot of that, I'm sure. Happy tears, of course."

Sora's mom dabbed at her own eyes. "Of course," she sniffed.

"Come here, both of you," the silverette snickered as he extended an arm to each mom and hugged them both tightly as they both sniffled. "Love you both."

Sora was sitting as still as possible as Kairi worked on his eyebrows, still staring in awe at the beautiful tux hung up in the open closet. His was also black but with a red sheen and also with a subtle holo effect on the shoulders only it was like his own engagement ring with hints of gold. His black silk tie was also very similar to Riku's with the same holo effect from the shoulders on the bottom of the tie and a charcoal black blouse. He had stopped yelping once Riku's mom had brought in his wedding outfit and showed him the tux hidden in the closet. He almost couldn't believe all his friends kept this surprise from him on the day of his own wedding, the one time where there SHOULDN'T be surprises, but he couldn't be mad either. It warmed his heart to know that they went through all this trouble to do this for him and Riku when they couldn't think to do it for themselves.

"All done!" Kairi stood back proudly and showed him with a hand mirror.

"Phew!" Sora let out a sigh of relief as he check himself out in the mirror. "They look great! But...I don't really see anything different."

"I just made them look less fuzzy, that's all," she assured him. "Now you just make sure you sit still for your mom."

"Don't worry, I will!" Sora laughed. As if on cue, his mother knocked on the door and let herself in. "Hey, mom!"

"Hey, sweetie! Ready for your snip snip?" she asked playfully while snipping a pair of scissors in her hand.

"Yes, I'm ready for my snip snip," the brunette giggled.

"I'm going to check on the others," Kairi smiled. "Make sure he doesn't leave this room," she warned his mom with a wink before closing the door behind her.

"You can't hold me prisoner before my own wedding!" he shouted after her just before she closed the door.

"Sit still!" his mother scolded as she wrapped the smock around his shoulders and began snipping away.

Sora glanced down to see there were still some strands of Riku's hair stuck to the smock and smiled. "How's Riku doing?"

"He's doing fine. How about you?" she asked.

"I was nervous...but I'm feeling way better, I think," Sora admitted.

"I still can't believe it. My baby is getting married," she began to blubber.

"Mommmmm," he laughed softly. "Be careful. Don't mess up my hair on my big day!"

"I know, honey, I know," she sniffled. "I'm just so proud of you. So proud of both of you. I don't know if my heart can take it."

"Thanks, mom. I really mean it. You and dad have been so supportive. I couldn't have asked for better parents."

"Staaaaaaaaaawp or I'll cry all over you!" she began to wail.

"Okay, okay!" he giggled.

When she was finished, Sora's hair was shortened with neater tufts and spikes, a slightly more tamed version of his normal look. But he wasn't complete just yet. Wordlessly, his mother cleaned him off and got to work pinning in his flower crown, his made with pink, yellow, orange, and red hibiscus blooms. "Look at you~" she cooed.

He held up the mirror to look at the finished product, the earring Riku's mom made him already hooked into his ear as well. "Wow..." he gasped at himself and felt tears begin to form in the corners of his eyes. "I'm...I'm so happy."

"Aw, sweetheart!" his mother gushed before hurrying to run around to his front and give him a proper hug. "Don't cry yet!"

"I'm not crying, you are!" Sora sniffled loudly into her chest.

"You're right, I am!" she wailed.

Sora's dad knocked on the door and quietly came in. "Is this a bad time?"

"Dad!" Sora pulled away and sniffled, happy to see his father. "What do you think?"

"You look great, son," his dad beamed. "Riku's a lucky man."

Sora blushed happily and rose out of his chair to hug his dad's middle. Even at twenty-one years old his dad still dwarfed him. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'm so proud of you," his dad leaned over him as he returned the tight embrace and Sora's mom came from behind to hug Sora as well, enveloping Sora in a hug sandwich.

Sora giggled between them, so happy to be engulfed in the warmth and love of his parents, even if his crown was getting a little crushed.

Outside, all of their friends were rushing to help put the final touches on everything with Riku's dad taking the lead. Pence was documenting everything, stopping everybody one at a time to ask them if they had a special message for the husbands-to-be, but there were SOOO many to talk to.

Roxas was making sure Demyx didn't go overboard with the tunes. He was also set to play Sora and Riku's heart song for when they walk down the aisle with their parents and during their vows, but not the rock version he came up with; STRICTLY a soft acoustic version.

"But how much cooler would it be if they rocked down the aisle, huh?" Demyx teased.

"Dude, if you do that, Riku will KILL you! Just stick to what you promised! Please?" Roxas begged.

"I know, I know. I'll behave, I promise."

On the beach, more and more guests were arriving and hanging out in small tents set up by Master Yen Sid that were actually WAY bigger on the inside than they looked on the outside so that they wouldn't all be standing about while the preparations were under way. Due to all of them coming in from so many different worlds, it was only natural that some might arrive a little too early due to time zone confusion. All of their friends from Radiant Garden had arrived as well as the former occupants of Master Yen Sid's tower, such as the good fairies who Riku's mom had gotten very friendly with. Cid was having a good time chatting with Riku's dad earlier, the two having met when they helped build Sora and Riku's treehouse a couple of years ago. Master Ansem and his apprentices were enjoying the beach, too. Even himself seemed to be enjoying the fresh open air for once. Refreshments were already being offered to their guests too as they waited. King Mickey and Queen Minnie were of course having a lovely time catching up with everybody while Donald led Daisy around on his arm and Goofy chatted it up with Leon. Even Cloud managed to make it much to Aerith and Tifa's delight. Pence was having a FANTASTIC time meeting everybody and filming them, and even if some didn't really seem they wanted to be on camera, they weren't short on warm words for the grooms.

Before they knew it, it was time for everybody to take their seats in the seemingly endless rows of chairs set before a beautiful wedding arch. A long purple carpet sprinkled with flower petals of all colors was rolled out between the two columns of chairs leading up to the arch. Demyx sat atop a stool with one of his newest guitars set up to an amp so that his music could be heard over the sounds of the rolling waves. Kairi dressed in a lovely pink summer dress was suddenly feeling nervous and was going through her lines one more time. Sora and Riku's parents were rushing to get dressed and Sora and Riku were...well...

Sora had his arm reached around his door uncomfortably, gently grasping Riku's hand who stood on the other side of the door, both their backs pressed to it as they did their best to calm their breathing. Riku's hand felt so soft, he kept running his thumb over his.

"Your hand feels so soft," Sora murmured.

"Yeah, Kairi kidnapped me and took me to a spa," Riku chuckled.

"I got kidnapped too. We played DDR," Sora giggled.

"Sounds like fun," Riku snickered.

"Riku..."

"Sora..."

"I'm so excited," the brunette breathed.

"Me too," the silverette spoke back softly with a gentle squeeze of his fingers.

"It's going to be great," Sora assured the both of them.

"It will be. We'll have so much fun...and then it'll be just the two of us again," Riku tilted his head over his shoulder to smile at his love on the other side of the door.

Sora could feel Riku smiling and smiled back, sending so much love through their connection, "I can't wait."

"Well you'll have to wait a LITTLE longer," Riku laughed. "We still need to walk down the aisle after all."

"I knowwwwwwww...and we still have to take pictures."

"Oh yeah, that's right."

"I'm glad we didn't have a wedding on every world like I joked about earlier. This is exhausting."

Riku laughed again. "I told you."

"You were right."

"But...it'll be worth it. I'm so glad I get to share this with you."

"Yeah...me too. So glad."

"Hm..." Riku hummed happily as a blush rose to his cheeks. "I'm going to meet up with my parents now. So...I'm going to let go, okay?"

"Nnnngh..." Sora whined playfully in protest as he squeezed Riku's hand harder before laughing softly. "Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too. See you at the aisle~"

"See you~" Sora closed his eyes and raised Riku's hand to his lips to kiss it before letting him go.

Riku gave one last graze over Sora's hand with his thumb before he was released and finally straightened up to go see his parents, his heart feeling much lighter and not hammering as hard against his chest as it was before. 

Sora would've slid down the door as soon as Riku's footsteps have left, but he didn't want to wrinkle his clothes. His parents had shown up to keep him from doing that anyway.

"Ready to go?" his dad asked, offering his arm.

"Yeah!" Sora smiled broadly and hooked arms with him and offered his other arm to his mom. "Ready?"

"No, but I'll try to be by the time we get there," she joked as she took his arm, earning a laugh from the other two.

"Fine by me! Let's do this!" the groom cheered.

Riku had his arms looped with his parents' and taking the long walk with them down the beach, or rather his dad's hand was on his shoulder and his mom had her arm looped in his. It was almost time for sunset and the colors in the sky were beginning to change, setting the stage for their union. But as he took in the sight of all those people who have come out to support them, he almost stumbled. "There are so many..."

His dad chortled and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "They came here to support you. You have a lot of good friends."

Riku swallowed the lump in his throat and smiled as he fought back the tears growing in his eyes. "Yeah...yeah we do."

As he they reached the edge of the carpet, everybody stood and Demyx began to play, serenading everybody as Riku began the walk with his parents. He smiled to everybody as he walked past, some even chuckling as they gave him a thumbs up, making him chuckle as well. It was a long walk but one made easier as their heart song played. Ahead, Kairi was smiling and waiting. When he reached her, he let go of his parents and she quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and held his shaking hand for a moment. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Riku smiled. "Thanks, Kairi."

"You look great, Riku," she giggled. "Now look alive. Your boy's coming."

Riku and his parents giggled too and turned their attention back to the aisle, both parents now holding his hands as they practically held their breath in anticipation.

Sora walked with his parents similarly to Riku, his tall dad having to rest his hand on Sora's shoulder so they could walk properly and his mom was clutching his arm so hard it was almost hard to move at all. Like Riku he too got a little nervous when he saw all those people but when they all stood and smiled at him, his heart felt so full and he felt this huge rush of warmth as he felt their support flood his connections with every single one of them. At the end of the aisle, there was Riku. He looked gorgeous with his crown of flowers and definitely like an island prince straight out of a fairy tale with his crisp white shirt over a purple sarong woven with a gold pattern wrapped around his waist and topped off with a macramé shawl draped over his left shoulder. The pattern resembled their combined keyblade, it was an off-white color with thin golden threads woven throughout with sea glass beads from his half of the keyblade dangling from the fringe on the bottom. The two halves meant to come together as they stood shoulder to shoulder. But even on its own, it looked magnificent on Riku.

Riku's eyes were equally transfixed on Sora as he came down the aisle with his parents. He was a vision in his matching outfit, but with rainbow beading and flowers throughout, as beautiful and radiant as the man who wore them. Sora's smile kept growing as he walked until he could no longer see his brilliant blue eyes around his white smile. His heart felt like it was going to burst! Sora was still a fair few feet away, but he couldn't hold back anymore. Automatically he stood to hold his hand out for him, beckoning Sora to come.

Sora was so entranced by Riku that he didn't realize how close he already was. The offered hand, the beckoning look in Riku's eyes, memories from his childhood flashed before his eyes of every time Riku offered him that same hand and how happy it made him. His heart felt like it lurched in his chest, pulling him forward, and before he realized what he had done, he broke away from his parents for the last few steps to instinctively grab that hand and Riku pulled him in close to his chest.

Sora's mom and dad took their places and Riku's mom and dad smiled nervously as the two continued to hug. After all, they broke script a little bit. Sora's mom just shrugged dramatically as she smiled apologetically. "Well I TRIED to keep a grip on him."

Their friends and family laughed and the two snapped out of their reverie and blushed sheepishly, awkwardly clearing their throats as they took their places properly beneath the the wedding arch where Kairi stood waiting for the two of them. "You ready?" she mouthed.

Both men nodded and took each other's hands.

Kairi smiled at the both of them before taking a deep breath. Demyx quieted the music just a smidge and a microphone hidden in the arch picked up their voices so that everybody could hear the ceremony.

First she thanked everybody for coming today to celebrate the union between Sora and Riku who were being given to each other by their parents. "I've known both of them since we were very little and I can tell you firsthand that they were just as inseparable back then as they are now. They have a love that runs so deep it's almost painful to watch," she joked while several of their friends laughed in agreement. "But what I really mean by that is that it inspires love in everybody who witnesses it. And so it gives me great pleasure to be the one to marry these two today. So with that, let's begin. Dearly beloved..."

Sora and Riku turn to face each other, hands closely clasped in each other's as Kairi reads their vows aloud for them. The two have already expressed to each other what they wanted to say earlier so they didn't prepare a speech for each other for this part of the ceremony. So when Kairi asked "Do you two have any words you want to share before we exchange the rings?"

"Just that I love you," Riku said, earning a giggle from Sora and a quick laugh and awwwww from their friends who were amused by how short that was.

"And I love you, too," Sora returned in kind.

"Okay then!" Kairi grinned. The sun was coming down over the horizon, lighting the venue with a brilliant display of oranges and reds as the purple curtain of darkness began to fall and the stars began to twinkle in the sky high above them.

The two took off their gold rings meant for each other and Sora put his left hand in Riku's.

"Sora, do you take Riku to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Kairi asked.

Sora looked up into Riku's gleaming cyan eyes as his own began to tear up. "I do," he managed to say just as Riku slipped the gold ring onto his finger, the band well-worn and so warm from being on Riku's hand for the past three years.

They changed hands and Riku felt that hammering in his chest again as he stared down into the sapphire eyes of the man who just agreed to be his. Kairi's voice sounded so far away that he barely heard her say the next line. "Riku, do you take Sora to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Riku answered and Sora slipped his own band onto Riku's hand. It fit perfectly above the silver band and at last his hand felt complete, like it was always meant to be there.

"Then by the power vested in me, I declare you married! You may ki--"

Riku wasted no time in pressing his lips to Sora's who then grabbed his shoulders and DIPPED HIM to deepen the kiss passionately. By now night had descended and the stars were sparkling, big and bright. When their lips met, a shooting star streaked across the sky. Riku laughed into the kiss as he held onto the smaller man for dear life, though he was confident that Sora wouldn't drop him as he felt calloused fingers entangle themselves in his hair to support his head as their lips burned from the intensity of the kiss to seal their marriage. Finally they broke away, but neither were any less light-headed, Riku especially as Sora helped him straighten up properly. Once standing up again, it was like the sound had turned back on because everybody was on their feet applauding for them and both realized that was their cue to hurry up and walk down the aisle and get this party started! He offered his hand to Sora and Sora took it happily before they SPRINTED down the aisle hand in hand while the people lining the aisle tossed flower petals and rice at them, completely coating them by the time they reached the end where Riku threw Sora onto his back and gave him a piggy back ride all the way back to the villa, the brunette laughing giddily the entire time as he clung to Riku's shoulders.

. . .

Riku stared at his tux hanging up in his closet for what felt like forever. He and Sora separated just long enough to go into their rooms but Riku couldn't bring himself to change out of his clothes yet, still admiring how he looked in his wedding clothes. After he had carried away Sora, they met up with Pence for tons of wedding photos. He felt bad that he nearly forgot about them but Pence was apparently taking photographs the entire time and he hadn't even noticed and Hayner had been filming the entire event, too. He couldn't wait to watch the video with Sora later. Just the idea of them thumbing through another album of photographs together made his face feel warm. His thoughts were interrupted by a timid knock on his door. Were they waiting on him? "Come in?"

Sora entered the room and closed the door behind him. He wasn't dressed either, tux on a hanger draped over his shoulder and shoes dangling from his hand. He hung up the tux in Riku's closet and smirked as he locked the door with a loud click.

"Sora...?"

Sora slid up to him and slipped his hands around Riku's waist. "You gonna take that off?" he murmured silkily.

Riku's spine tingled in the way he said that, his own arms wrapping around Sora as he tried to steady himself. "Aren't they waiting--"

Sora silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Are you going to deny me a little consummation before the party?"

Riku blushed furiously as Sora began peeling his clothes off. "No, but--" The man giggled and gave him a hard shove to push him onto the bed behind him, making the silverette laugh in surrender. "Alright, come here, you!"

"Whee!" Sora giggled as he pounced!

By the time the two had changed into their tuxes, the guests were at their seats and have already dived into the personalized cocktails at the open bar (paopu party, meteorite madness, and soriku sour) but there were a couple of things Sora and Riku needed to do first. One was filling out their marriage license and stamped by the mayor personally. The other was more pictures of them in their tuxes along with their parents who were also formally dressed. Then at last, they went outside onto the back deck where everybody was waiting to greet them with cheers!

Before them was the massive wedding cake that Ven had made, the barrier spell having finally been removed after it was carried out. Flutes of paopu champagne were being served through magically levitating bottles and Tron the DJ was in charge of the tunes whenever Demyx and his band weren't playing with Roxas singing on occasion. Everybody had changed from their semi-formal summery clothes to their formal clothes and looked stunning. It was like a switch had been flicked and their modest beach wedding was now suddenly a formal night affair and Sora and Riku were living for it!

"Everybody!" Demyx shouted into the mic, "I present to you the new husbands, Masters Sora and Riku!"

Everybody cheered again and Sora and Riku laughed clasping hands as they took a big bow and waved to all their friends and family before taking a seat at their table where their parents were already waiting for them. As they sat down, Sora's dad stood up with his flute of champagne and gently tapped the glass with a fork. Everybody quieted. It was time for the speeches!

Sora and Riku turned to look at him, the usually quiet and warm man grabbing everybody's attention easily. "As the dad, I guess I'm supposed to say a few words, right?" he chuckled and everybody laughed, Sora already looked like he was about to cry with happiness as he squeezed his husband's hand under the table and listened to his dad with an adoring look. His father cleared his throat as he looked at the two of them, even loosened his tie just a smidge. "I'm sorry, you two, I'm afraid I'm going to be the one sharing the embarrassing childhood stories this time." He looked to his wife. "I'm sorry, I know that's usually your job."

"I'll forgive you just this once, sweetie," Sora's mother giggled.

Riku could already feel his face pinking but he didn't mind this time either, not when his friends were already cheering the tall man on.

"Many years ago, when Sora was only two, Riku came running up to us on the beach." He looked to Riku and smiled at him fondly. "Even then I knew you were somebody special. You not only became Sora's first and best friend that day, but you reunited old friends. You became like a second son to us and now I am proud to officially call you son. Welcome to the family, Riku." He grinned and held up his glass in a toast.

"Thank you, dad," Riku choked as he held up his own glass. Everybody took a sip and now it was Riku's dad's turn.

The muscular man stood up, shifting a little uncomfortably in his own tux but he powered through it as he stood with a hand on his wife's shoulder then took the mic from Sora's dad and held up his own glass. "Sora..."

"Yes, sir?" Sora answered automatically, earning a giggle from everybody as Sora's ears turned pink. What could he say, Riku's dad had a demanding presence, no matter how familiar the two of them were.

So sincere was Sora's reaction that Riku's dad nearly lost it, snorting hard through his nose as he tried to contain himself. "I'm about to one up your father here."

"Of course he is," Sora's dad huffed, earning snorts of laughter from the whole table.

"My boy Riku over here wasn't a shy kid by any means, but he was...well...how would describe him, honey?" he asked his wife.

"Picky," she grinned.

"That's it, picky!"

Riku resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands as Sora laughed into his hand.

"So when we were at the beach that day and visiting cousins, I wasn't too surprised when Riku wasn't very social at the tender age of three. But he wasn't the kind to run off, either. So when he suddenly disappeared, you can imagine how scared his mother and I were."

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Roxas muttered to Xion quietly who kicked him under their own table.

"But it's as Sora's father said, he had run off to old friends who we hadn't seen since our own wedding. And the way he spoke so openly about wanting to see Sora again after that, it was like Riku hadn't just MET a friend. He CHOSE a friend. He chose _you_ , Sora." He beamed at the brunette proudly. "And I want to thank you for being there for him all this time. I want to thank you for choosing him as well. And I want to also officially welcome you and your family into ours. You keep my son in line, won't you?"

"Of course I will...dad," Sora chuckled as they raised their glasses together.

Finally, Sora and Riku took their turn to thank all their friends and family for being there, and expressed their love to all of them and thanked them for all their gifts and how hard they all worked to bring everything together. At the end of their speech, they looped arms and drank from their champagne glasses that had little paopu fruit candies floating around in the bottom and downed the drinks to the combined cheers of the group before they both separated and said "LET'S GRAB SOME FOOD AND CAKE!"

Dinner was finally served, a delicious array of courses whose aromas were practically teasing Sora all day as they were being prepared in the kitchen. When it was time to cut the splendid piece of art that was Ven's cake, they were given a knife with a handle that looked like Kingdom Key and Sora couldn't help grinning as he whispered to Riku, "What if we just used the real thing to cut the cake?"

"Don't even think about it," Riku tried to say sternly even as he was holding back a laugh at the thought.

Of course they fed each other a slice of cake, but Riku smooshed it into Sora's face, making the brunette GASP with indignation. "RIKU!"

"I thought you were going to smoosh ME!!" the silverette defended, hands raised in fear as he timidly stepped back!

"I wouldn't smoosh you on our wedding night! BUT NOW I AM!" he roared as he threw a whole chunk at Riku to make a huge SPLAT of icing across his face.

Riku didn't even bother trying to wipe it off of his face, he only blindly grabbed Sora and pulled him close and smooshed their caked up faces together in a sloppy kiss while the other squirmed to get away, though they were both giggling their heads off.

"You two are so stupid," Sora's mom giggled as she handed them both napkins to clean off with.

"Yeah, we are," Riku chuckled sheepishly as he attempted to clean the icing off his face.

"Oh you two," Aqua huffed playfully as she magicked away the cake off of both their faces with ease. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Master Aqua," they said in unison.

The blue-haired woman giggled. "Maybe we could speed this up a bit. What do you think, Sora?"

"Oh definitely!" he cheered. Together, they combined their magic to get the cake to cut itself and plates were flying everywhere with a slice for everybody, but Sora and Riku got to split the stained glass sugar piece together, both of them taking a bite out of the delicate spun sugar that crumbled and melted in their mouths.

"It's so sticky," Sora mumbled as he tried to swallow it down.

"Well what'd you expect?" Riku giggled. Both of them have had quite a bit of paopu champagne by now.

After they finished their cake, it was time for the first dance! Riku offered his hand and led Sora to the center of the dance floor on the deck, everything felt so far away as Roxas took to the piano and played their heart song, Riku holding Sora in just the right way before they began their waltz. They've danced enough times by now that Riku had memorized the steps, knew where Sora would put his feet, knew where his hands would wander, their bodies moving automatically to their song as they spun to the music and looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"You look beautiful," Riku told him.

"You told me already," Sora giggled as Riku dipped him.

"Well I'm telling you again," the silverette smirked as he raised him and pressed their foreheads together.

"And you're the prettiest prince ever~" the brunette smiled as he nuzzled their noses together. "Dink~"

"Dink~" Riku blushed.

"You're...the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Sora whispered honestly.

"Sora..."

"Riku..."

The music picked up as Tron brilliantly faded the song into one of Sora's favorites, "Don't Think Twice" by Utada Hikaru. The two increased their tempo, Sora taking the lead a little more, standing on his toes a little bit to spin Riku here and there so fluidly that it was practically unnoticeable. When they came together again, they were practically gently rocking to the music, their bodies close as they almost sang the lyrics at each other.

_I want you for a lifetime.  
So if you gotta think twice, baby  
I don't wanna know~_

Sora mouthed the words, "If you wanna take it to an even higher level, all you gotta do is say the word, you know I'll follow~"

Riku leaned in even closer. "If you want to make it happen nothing's impossible. All you gotta do is say the word, the walls will crumble~" he breathed against Sora's lips, making the brunette shudder in his arms before they spread apart again and Riku spun him on his toes.

"I want you for a lifetime~" the two sung together, smiling without a care in the world as they danced like they have in their dreams, across a sea of clouds, feeling lighter than air, with nothing but the stars as witnesses.

_Kiss me once  
Kiss me twice  
Kiss me three times  
Cross the line~_

_Kiss me once  
Kiss me twice  
Kiss me three times  
Cross the line~_

_Kiss me once  
Kiss me twice  
Kiss me three times  
Be miiiiiiiiiiiine~_

When the song ended, the two found themselves kissing again and pulled apart when they found themselves crashing back to reality, their friends applauding for them as they enjoyed watching them dance. Next the two shared a dance with their moms and then it was time for the dance floor to open up for everybody and Sora and Riku went around greeting all their friends properly one by one.

There were so many friends to greet and hug and dance with that the two were pleasantly exhausted, though the drinks certainly helped keep them going. Soon they were dancing without their coats on and loosened ties as they got even crazier on the dance floor with Roxas coaxing them into various dance-offs to more bouncier remixes of Utada Hikaru's music. Of course, with every cheesy rock ballad, the two were at each other's sides again, singing the lyrics together as they danced like nobody was looking but of course everybody was. Sora even got a dance circle going with Goofy and Donald. Turns out Goofy is quite the dancer!

Mickey and Minnie wow'ed everybody on the dance floor too with moves that were older than Goofy's but still impressive. "Wait, how old are you again?" Riku asked.

Queen Minnie wagged a finger, "Ah ah! It's rude to ask a lady their age!"

"I didn't mean you, of course, I just meant--" Riku stammered.

King Mickey slapped a hand on his knee as he laughed and Riku just walked away embarrassed, Sora thankfully grabbing his hand to pull him into another dance.

As the night went on, many of their other guests left for home, a fleet of gummi ships ready to take them back with designated drivers of course. After Sora and Riku thanked them all for coming, it was back to partying until finally it was time to call it a night. They helped clean up, which was much easier than the last few big parties they've had because now Sora knows a little more cleaning magic and he had Aqua and King Mickey to help make sure he didn't screw it up.

"So where are you going for your honeymoon?" King Mickey asked.

"Everywhere!" Sora grinned before letting out a long yawn. "But for tonight, we're just going home, I think."

"Yeah, sleeping in our own bed would be nice before we go," Riku also yawned, his pristine hair now a MESS and his top two buttons undone, his tie barely hanging onto his shoulders.

"Sounds like a lot of fun. You two be safe," Mickey chuckled. "Make sure you tell everybody when you're officially back so we'll know not to bother ya!"

Sora laughed. "We will, don't worry."

"Yeah, it should only be a week or two," Riku chuckled.

"Or three."

"Or four."

"Gosh," the king laughed with a slight hint of worry in his voice, though he figured the two were teasing.

. . .

Back at their treehouse, Riku carried Sora over the threshold to find that the pathway to their bedroom had been lit with candles and covered in flower petals.

"Did you do this?" Sora asked, his arms draped over Riku's shoulders as he fought the urge to fall asleep in his arms.

"No. I'm pretty sure Kairi snuck in here when we weren't looking," Riku shook his head with a laugh as he followed the trail, Donut Rox dashing about as if he was trying to trip them up.

Their bedroom was given the same treatment, a large heart drawn with rose petals on their bed covered in fresh white linens and scented candles lit everywhere. Sora giggled and cast a little gust of aero, the ball of air blowing the petals off and flying all around the room to extinguish the candles in the room and down the hall. One less thing for them to worry about so they can go to bed.

With the bed clear, Riku playfully dropped Sora on the bed who kicked his shoes off before relaxing into the sheets. The two of them tore off their clothes before crawling under the blankets and cuddled close.

Sora pulled himself on top of Riku and kissed him languidly as they slotted together perfectly. "I love you...I almost can't believe I get to call you my husband now..."

"I know...it's unreal," Riku murmured and kissed him back. "I love you so much."

"We're married," Sora grinned.

"That's right...we're married," Riku flashed a white smile. "You're mine."

Sora giggled. "And you're mine."

They laced their fingers together as they shared another deep kiss. There were many places they'd like to go, but for now, neither could think of where they'd rather be than right here in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! Stay tuned, I got more coming. >w>


	99. Wait just a minute!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story's not over yet!

"And now you're all caught up!" Sora finished proudly, shutting the heavy tome in his lap that was his journal.

At the keyblade master's side on the well-worn leather couch, a fifteen year old boy with sky-blue eyes and silver hair stretched his arms above his head and let out a loud yawn. "That was riveting and all, dad, but you still haven't told me how I was born or where I came from."

The weathered corners of Sora's eyes crinkled as he laughed, "I thought I was very clear! You see when two people love each other very, very much--"

"Daddddddddddddd!" the teen looked helplessly to Riku who was listening from the doorway with an amused smirk on his face. "Dad's dodging again!"

The elder keyblade master chuckled as he brushed his long hair out of his face. "Soraaaaaaaaaa, don't tease."

"Who's teasing? Not me, surely?" Sora flashed a white smile, earning a groan from the boy who flopped back into the couch in visible frustration, much to the brunette's amusement.

"Maybe I should tell this one?" Riku volunteered, walking over to sit on the unoccupied side of the couch.

"Yes! Please!" the younger silverette cheered as his other dad sat next to him. "Finally, we're getting somewhere."

"Oh, you're in for a treat now!" Sora chuckled fondly before turning sideways on the couch so he can lay his legs across both their laps and lounge against the arm rest.

"Right," Riku nodded with a grin, his cyan eyes sparkling as he grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch to drape over all three of them before he took a deep breath and began. "It all started when..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your love and support for this story and this series. I hope you'll enjoy part 3 because we still have a lot more story to go! BWAHAHAHA!!! Again, thank you so much and I can't wait to keep writing more for all of you to enjoy. Chapter 1 of Part 3 is already posted (Click on Next Work down below) for you guys to sink your teeth into and I hope this little teaser will give you a hint of what's to come. :)


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